Battle of love
by Tsuyu ryu
Summary: Sequel of “Taking care of you” When a mysterious coven arrives at Forks, there are many things on Bella’s mind: Edward’s condition is strangely worsening; and Jacob has returned, more determined tan ever to prevent her transformation… will they survive?
1. Chapter 1

_**Surprise!! I know I said Monday, but I wanted to give you (my amazing readers) a gift! Enjoy! Hope you like this!**_

"Arrivals"

**BPOV**

I awoke to a usually cloudy day in Forks.

I got up quickly, ready to start my day… well, to be honest, ready to see my boyfriend.

The thought of Edward sent, as always, a feeling of happiness mixed with worry. It has been a month after the incident with the hunter, and Edward still carried the signs of it on his chest. I wanted him to get better, but the only available solution was to drink my blood, something he had refused to do before the wedding. I had insisted more than once, and each time he had ended the discussion with an absolute negative to the idea.

I had even asked the rest of his family for help, but it had been all in vain. Edward, as stubborn as always, had refused any argument to support my idea, until the rest of the Cullens had been forced to stay out of the issue. The only relief was that the wedding was only a week away, which meant he'll be cured soon enough. The thought of the wedding sent shivers to my body… it was irrational, I knew; after all, it meant I could live eternally with him, but it still was something difficult to me. As if I hadn't enough with his attitude.

I went downstairs to meet Charlie at the kitchen, ready to have breakfast.

"Morning, Bells" he said to me.

"Hi, dad" I answered, still immerse on my thoughts.

"Is Edward coming to pick you up?" he asked. After a month, I still couldn't believe his change of attitude.

"Um, yeah. His family is planning a small reunion today" I said, smiling. It was his birthday and, since his brothers had been kinda bored, they decided to celebrate... or to try and annoy him. I couldn't even imagine what Alice had done for that.

"Alright. Tell him I wish him a happy birthday… how old is he now?" Charlie asked.

_107…_ "Um… 19" I said. Of course, Charlie wouldn't doubt that. Suddenly, I heard the engine of his Volvo near the house. I stood up and practically ran to the door, while my dad looked at me with surprise. I opened to find him standing there, with a smile on his face, looking at me with those beautiful golden eyes of his. I launched into his arms and kissed him softly.

"Happy birthday" I murmured. He chuckled.

"Alice is angry" he said, a little annoyed. Alice always liked to exaggerate at parties... so why was she angry? My dad then came out of the kitchen, and greeted him quickly before leaving for work. Once he was out of sight –and we were both safely inside Edward's car- I asked the question I've been doing daily during a month.

"How are you?" I asked him. He smiled at me.

"I'm fine" he said. I frowned.

"You know what I mean" I said, serious.

"Yes. I am fine" he insisted. He wanted it the hard way, then.

"Can I see?" I asked. He immediately became serious.

"It's the same… why do you want to see?" he asked.

"Exactly because of that. I want to see if it really IS the same" I said. It was so weird to be worried about a wound. A _vampire's_ wound.

"Bella, please don't start…" he asked, as if begging me.

"I can't help it. I'm worried Edward. I just want you to be fine again" I said, trying to calm my nerves. I knew this was difficult for him too.

"I'm sorry. I don't want you to feel that way" he said, taking my hand while he started to drive. "I'm fine, really. It can wait a little more" he concluded. I sighed; I had heard that a lot. He suddenly raised his head, alert.

"What?" I asked. He looked at me.

"Nothing important… you'll find out soon" he said mysteriously. I hated that, and looked at him with annoyance. He seemed to find it funny, for he laughed all the way to the house.

Once we arrived, I was surprised to see the house was exactly the same: no lights, no decoration, nothing. I wondered if they had tied Alice or something. At my side, Edward sighed in relief… my theory seemed even more possible. Well, that is until Alice approached us, giving Edward a hug so strong I thought she was going to crush him. Even my hand, clenched with his, was shaken by the movement.

"You're so mean, Edward!" she said. "Oh, by the way, happy birthday"

"Alice, you've said it over a thousand times today…" he said, but he was smiling. I suddenly realized why I was so apprehensive about that hug.

"Alice, maybe you shouldn't…" I started.

"Oh, hi Bella! Don't worry, I'm not overdoing it" she said, smiling as always.

While we walked towards the house –and Alice had gone inside- I solved my doubts.

"I'm shocked. I thought she'll have a huge plan here. What did you do to keep her in line?" I asked a little angry. If he could restrain her, why hadn't he done so with MY parties? He laughed.

"It was not me. Rosalie said that if she did it and exposed us her car could 'accidentally' stop working… and Jasper promised to cancel all her credit cards" he said, still laughing. I laughed too; Rosalie certainly knew how to threat Alice, but Jasper was even better at that.

I was greeted by the rest of the Cullens inside the house. Carlisle subtly signaled me to move before Emmett's giant figure came out of nowhere, trying to grab Edward. Of course, his mind gave him away and Edward moved to avoid him.

"Glad you're back, bro!" he said, smiling.

This reunion was not as disastrous as my party and certainly not as fancy or, well, _human_, but I had to admit it was fun. Emmett had bought a new videogame console, and they had all started to play against each other. Even I joined the team, since it was something I could do (surely, that was the reason behind it). I laughed a lot when Edward beat Emmett on the first match; his brother became serious and asked a rematch, which Edward won too… the look on Emmett's face was hilarious. Then it was Jasper's turn. He ended up manipulating Edward's feelings in order to make him loose his concentration.

"Hey! No powers allowed!" Alice said, laughing.

"Why not? We can use any advantage we have… he's reading my mind anyways" Jasper said.

"I'm not!" Edward protested, but even I could see he was lying. Esme rolled her eyes.

"I swear, sometimes you behave like children" she said. Carlisle laughed at her side.

Of course, Jasper won –to Edward's dismay-. Then, Alice sat next. She simply touched the controls and smiled widely.

"I win" she said. Jasper looked at her with surprise.

"That's not fair… I haven't even started. How can you see that?" he asked. She simply moved closer and kissed him softly.

"Because you're going to let me win" she said, teasing him.

"Why her? It's MY birthday, right?" Edward protested at my side. Soon we were all laughing.

After a while, they decided to get a physical rematch (at least, Emmett decided). They wrestled outside, but that didn't bother me. After all, they were just playing… but then Edward wanted to join them.

"Bella, its fine" he said, but I didn't want to let him go.

"Maybe you should listen to her… Emmett's really angry about that match" Carlisle said with an amused tone. I wondered if it was a subtle way to warn Edward about his 'condition'. He simply nodded and continued watching. Emmett was winning; he already had Jasper on the ground. Alice stood up.

"Emmett, if you do something to my Jasper I'll tell Rosalie about your secret present for her!" Alice screamed, laughing, while Rosalie looked curious… I was sure she'd find out later. It worked; Emmett was distracted and Jasper moved to change positions. Emmett growled softly.

"That's cheating!" he protested.

"It's your fault if you can't focus" Alice answered him.

The day continued like that. Despite the fact I couldn't play with them sometimes, I felt at home. It was as if they weren't vampires anymore… they laughed and behaved like any boy, like any girl. Even Carlisle had joined the jokes. I was surprised, though, to realize they always thought about me. They had prepared food for me, and had chosen certain games in which I could join them. It felt good to know they cared.

Now, it was afternoon. Edward and I were alone, sitting at the beautiful piano. He started playing my lullaby while I placed my head on his shoulder. I sighed, my senses filled with his fragrance.

"It was fun" I said to him.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it" he answered. Without stopping the music, he leaned to kiss me. It felt so good to remain like this… until his phone rang. Why can't the world stop plotting against us? Edward answered, but simply said yes and hung up again.

"Who was it?" I asked.

"Your dad. He wanted to know if you'll be home soon" he said, and I could see something bothered him.

"Is something wrong?"

"No… someone wants to see you. At least he waited" Edward said. He? I was confused. Without a word, he stood up and led the way towards his car. That was strange; he was taking me home already?

"I want to stay" I said, but he smiled at me again. Did I imagine the sad look on his eyes?

"Believe me, you want to see him" he said mysteriously. The ride home was strangely quiet. Edward seemed reluctant to leave me, but at the same time determined to do it… when we arrived at my place, he kissed me again.

"I'll see you tomorrow… if you don't have plans" he said. Plans? All my plans involved him.

"Well… yeah, sure. Edward, what's…?" I asked, but he pressed his lips against mine again.

"You'll see… I don't want to ruin the surprise" he said, with a strange tone. Unable to say anything, and still dizzy after the kiss, I stepped out of the car after saying good bye to him. I watched as the car disappeared, still wondering why his mood had changed so suddenly; when I opened the door, I understood.

"Bella!" a voice greeted me with joy. A voice I hadn't heard in a long time.

Jacob had returned.

_**First chapter of my sequel… Yeah! Jake is back!! nn. We can expect trouble XD. I know nothing really important happens here, I just wanted to start slower this time… but don't worry, we'll have more to come! /looks at evil plans/ poor Edward!! Mwajajaja!**_

_**Of course Edward is kinda angry about Jacob's return… but come on! He'll surely hide it –sort of- to keep Bella happy ;)**_

_**And the videogame? Well, while I was playing PS2, I imagined the scene with them… I'm sure that'll be pretty funny to watch nn. Hope at least they don't sound too, uh, unrealistic? To their personalities :P**_


	2. Welcoming

"Welcoming"

**BPOV**

There he was. My former best friend, the man who had helped me on my darkest hours. Without wasting a second, I rushed inside to meet him.

"Jake! You're back!" I said, giving him a hug. Maybe I shouldn't have done so, since it could give him false hopes –again- but I couldn't resist. He laughed and returned my hug with emotion.

"Yep. I came back this morning" he said, smiling. This morning? I remembered Edward's sudden distraction in the car… he must have heard Jacob's thoughts. I wondered how he felt about it.

"So, Jake, tell me how're you? I'm sure you have plenty of stories to share" I said, a little afraid. I didn't want to remember _exactly_ why he had left. He seemed to understand, but merely smiled at me. It was like seeing the old Jacob again.

"Nothing great. I just went from one side to the other. Nothing big, really. And you? How are you doing, Bella?" he asked. I wondered if he was trying to evade my questions.

"I've been fine… missing you a lot" I said. Of course, I couldn't say him I was preparing my wedding, or that I had been close to death a month ago. I was sure, though, he knew that last part.

"I heard about the trouble last month. I should have been here" he said more serious.

"Don't worry, Jake. I'm fine… Edward helped me" I said, without thinking. I saw as his face became harder, as it always became when I mentioned my boyfriend.

"Yeah, I heard that… guess at least he can protect you while I'm not around" he said with a disdainful tone. "Where is he anyways? I thought your bloodsuck… err… _Edward_ would be more than glad not having me around to steal his girl" he said. Yes, that was definitively Jacob. At least this time he tried to use Edward's name.

"He's at his house. Charlie called to say you were here, so he brought me and left. I guess he wanted to give us some time to talk" I said, a little sad. Why can't I have them both on the same room without a fight? Jake rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, right… more probably, he doesn't want to see you and me together" he said.

"So… have you heard about Sam?" I asked, trying to change the subject. If we continued like that we'll end up arguing. He immediately smiled sadly.

"Yeah. I can't believe it… that guy doesn't really seems like his dad. Sam is really confused and unsure about all that. Your bloodsucker really brings trouble, right?" he said. He seemed determined to bring back Edward's topic.

"Why do you say that? normally, it is I who brings bad luck. And we were talking about Sam, not Edward" I said. Why was he so insistent?

"Yeah… well, that guy –Alphonse, I think- said Edward ki…" Jacob started.

"Edward didn't do anything… that's all. Don't start, Jake. I'm really happy to have you back, don't make me regret it" I said with a playful tone so that he understood I didn't really mean that. He laughed.

"Alright, alright. So… how's all around here?" he asked me.

I spent all afternoon talking with him. Sometimes, I watched as he stared at me with an expression I couldn't interpret, but quickly changed back to a smiling face. He described for me some of the places he'd been, giving as much detail as he could. I told him too –reluctantly- about my wedding, and he laughed when he saw the expression on my face.

"If you don't want to go on, I can take care of that" he said, laughing, but I could see he meant it.

"It's not that, Jake, just… the idea is… scary" I confessed. He misinterpreted.

"Yeah, marrying a vampire should be terrifying" he said, sarcastically.

"I didn't mean that!" I said. I saw as his face showed the sadness once more, and felt bad for him. I wanted him to be happy, but I had to search for my own happiness too. Suddenly, he took my hand; I should have stopped him, but I didn't want to hurt him even more. He looked at me, his eyes sad.

"Listen, Bella. I've been thinking a lot during my travels. I know I promised I'll behave, but I really think you shouldn't go on with this" he said to me. God… that was exactly the subject I didn't want to talk about. Not now, not when I was meeting him after a long time.

"Jake, please don't do this. I thought we had solved the issue before. I love him" I said. I saw as he closed his eyes, probably remembering our last conversation.

"That's not my point. I can accept that you love him more than you love me, I can live with that. But I can't allow you to throw away all your life for him… I can't stand it" he said. I knew he would never like to hear it, but to me he had sounded like Edward with those words; of course I couldn't tell him that.

"It's what I want" I said, sincerely. It was better if he knew it.

"Because you don't know anything better" he said. "You love him, I know, but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice it all for that. He gave you options, far better options" Jacob said. Of course, he had given me options… and I had rejected them all. I wanted to be with him for eternity. I was about to answer him, when my dad returned. I felt grateful for that.

"Hey! I'm glad to see you two are good friends again" Charlie said, smiling, and sat on the couch with us. With him here, Jacob couldn't continue his little argument, so we started talking about anything. Outside, it was getting dark.

**EPOV**

I was really tempted to stay, but I refrained.

I knew Bella would like to talk to Jacob, and she'll be angry if she knew I was listening. Of course, that didn't mean I was glad to leave. I stood there for a moment, listening when she greeted him and hugged him with joy. I felt jealous; maybe it was irrational, but I felt it anyway. He had expressed his feelings for her once, had fought for her once and, most important, had gained her love… maybe she'll realize she loved him more and cancel everything.

I sighed, annoyed by my own thoughts. As always, a part of me screamed for her to do exactly that: choose him and have a nice, happy human life. But the rest of my body tensed with rage and fear at the possibility. More than once, I had been about to turn the car and return to her side, but I couldn't. I knew he was her friend and that she missed him, I couldn't ruin the moment for her. Surely, Jacob wouldn't be too friendly or talkative if I was there with her. I had to trust her, to trust the love we shared.

As if reflecting my inner feelings, the 'scar' on my chest started to bother me. It was not a pain too strong, but it was there, just like my insecurities. I tried to calm down… it was foolish to think like that after all that Bella and I had been through. I accelerated, desperate to be at home and do anything to distract my mind from those thoughts.

When I turned my head, I saw a figure near the trees. I couldn't quite see it right, since I was driving really fast and was so immersed on my thoughts to care, but I knew I had seen it. It had seemed human, but the figure disappeared before I could watch more attentively. Maybe I'm hallucinating. Suddenly, the pain on my chest started to rise… that had never happened before; in fact, that _shouldn't_ be happening. It was supposed to be in process of healing –slower, but healing-. Soon the pain was too much, and my sight blurred a little.

It continued rising. Soon I was forced to stop the car. I pressed my hand on my chest, as if that could lessen the feeling of agony. This wasn't right… I panicked. Was something wrong with me? Had the hunter done more than it seemed? I suppressed a moan when the wave of pain hit me. That was it; I couldn't stay here. I took out my phone and dialed Carlisle's number.

"_Yes, Edward?"_ my dad answered. His voice sounded worried; maybe Alice had seen me before.

"Alice saw me, didn't she?" I asked. At least I could keep my voice firm.

"_Yes. Emmett's on his way to help you. Just calm down" _Carlisle said. He knew me well; despite my calm tone I WAS afraid.

"Thank you" I said to him.

"_Does it hurt too much?" _he asked, with a more serious tone. He was analyzing it as a doctor, putting his feelings aside. Impressive.

"I can tell you when I get home" I said, reluctant to admit I felt really bad at the moment.

"_As you wish. Be careful, son" _Carlisle said.

"Yes" I answered, and hung up. I closed my eyes to try and calm my worries a little. Pain was something we as vampires didn't feel too often, but when we did it was even stronger than human pain. Soon enough, I heard Emmett's thoughts: he was scared… for me. He opened the passenger's door.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked.

"Not really…" I answered. I wanted to be honest and, surely, my face was showing the truth anyways.

"Ok, move. I'll drive" he simply said.

While I moved to the passenger's seat, I thought I saw the figure again, looking from beneath the forest. But when Emmett started the engine, it was gone again.

_**You didn't think I'll let Edward get better so easy, right?**__** where's the fun in that? XD but there's a reason behind this… you'll have to wait to know. Mwajaja!**_

_**I'm a little worried about Jacob… I still think I can't write his lines, but hope at least sounds a little like him. And Jacob is very stubborn too, so he won't give up so easily (he wants Bella to stay human…/sighs/)**_

_**And yes… vampires feel pain with more, um, strength? than humans do, SM said it once (thanks Twilight Lexicon!)**_

_**Hope you like my sequel so far!**_


	3. Visions of death

"Visions of Death"

**EPOV**

I remained still as Carlisle checked the scar on my chest. The pain had diminished now; it was only aching, like a small 'residue' of the previous agony.

"Does this hurt, Edward?" Carlisle asked while softly pressing it with his fingers.

"No. Not really" I answered, distracted.

All my family was here, in the living room, watching us with apprehension. After Emmett and I had arrived, they all had gathered to see how I was doing. I think I had to repeat the same words like a thousand times… well, I had to admit the fact he was helping me walk when we arrived didn't help much. Alice and Jasper were sitting on the couch, while Emmett remained standing and walking in circles –obviously worried-. Rosalie tried to calm him down but, considering she was as anxious as he, she wasn't succeeding. I was sitting too, watching as my father checked the scar, while Esme was at my side with her arm around my shoulders. I hated to do this to them, to make them worried. Suddenly, Carlisle looked up at me.

"It really doesn't seem to be getting worse. It's strange" he said.

"Alice… what exactly did you see?" Esme asked.

"Well, I only saw him in the car, nothing else" she said, frustrated. Obviously, she wanted to know more. I saw the image in her mind; she was not lying.

"So, what? We don't know what's wrong here?" Emmett asked impatient. _'Can't we do anything to help? He really looked bad there' _he kept thinking. He, as always, wanted to act instead of talking.

"Well, as I said, it doesn't seem worse than before. Maybe you should take it easy for a while, Edward" Carlisle said. _'Are you sure you feel fine now?' _he asked mentally. I subtly nodded.

_My poor Edward… I wish I could do something for you_. Esme's thoughts, as usual, were focused on my well-being. Actually, all the thoughts in the room were like that. I felt so grateful… what did I do to deserve such love?

"Don't worry, Esme. Maybe Carlisle is right; I just need to rest a little" I said to her, but I doubted it was that easy. The scar hadn't bothered me during a month, why now?

'_You should have used my option. Why are you so stubborn? She wants it too, anyways' _Jasper thought. I looked at him with anger.

"Alright, I understand. It's just hard to see you like this" he admitted. Maybe he didn't talk much, but he certainly cared. At his side, Alice pressed herself closer to him.

"Were you doing something when the pain started?" my father asked. Well, yeah, actually: I was burning by jealously, just that. _'Edward?' _he insisted.

"Just driving home. Nothing special, unless you consider jealousy as something important" I said, already annoyed by the thoughts. Wait… did I said that out loud? Carlisle raised an eyebrow.

"Jealousy? What do you mean?" he asked. Yes, I said that out loud, unfortunately. I saw as Rosalie smiled sarcastically near Emmett. _See what I felt?_ She said.Of course, she knew jealousy.

"Jacob is back. I left to give Bella some time to talk with him. I was just thinking…" I said, but stopped. I couldn't say the words. Carlisle understood.

"You shouldn't feel that way. You know she loves you" Esme said to me.

"She admitted once she loved him too" I answered, sad. She could still change her mind.

"But she chose you, didn't she? Stop being that unsure about her feelings. I've seen you two… she _loves_ you" she said, smiling. I smiled too; the mere memory of Bella raising me up.

"Well, Edward, I don't think that has anything to do with the symptoms" Carlisle said, chuckling. At least the situation was humorous to them. "You fed yesterday, right?" he asked later.

"Yes. I went out with Emmett and Jasper, since I'm no longer allowed to go out alone" I said, annoyed again. Not that I didn't feel touched by their concern, but they were exaggerating.

_Just for your safety _Esme thought.

_Well, it's not that easy to be your nanny, you know? _Emmett thought, laughing. Rosalie rolled her eyes. It was amazing how much she could read in him without my ability.

"Don't be angry, Edward. You know we're just worried. You don't have to be such a grouchy" Alice said. Suddenly, she tensed. She was having a vision… and I was seeing it with her:

_It was a dark place… I couldn't recognize it. Her sight focused, and I could see clearly some figures on the ground. No, they weren't just figures… they were bodies__, dismembered bodies. I saw with horror at my father's dead eyes, then Esme's body… all my family._

_I watched petrified as the rest of my beloved family laid scattered all over that dark place. Another figure was standing there. My horror increased when I saw myself looking at the scene with empty gaze… while I held Bella's body on my arms._

_Without any sign of distress, the Edward I was seeing left her fall to the ground, lifeless. The open shirt showed the scar was gone, and the empty eyes were red… I had fed on her. Suddenly, another vampire appeared: one with long black hair that fell almost to his waist. He smiled, satisfied at the death bodies of my family. At his side, there was another vampire… it seemed to be a woman._

"_Burn them" he ordered, and a small group approached to obey. He turned to see me, the Edward inside the vision, and smiled even more._

"_Now it's your turn, Edward…" he said. The moment he beheaded me, the vision was over._

Alice gasped, and screamed. Jasper immediately hugged her in an attempt to calm her. I felt a wave of peace spread… he was using his gift. Maybe it was working with the others, but not with Alice. Certainly not with me.

"What happened, Alice? What did you see?" Jasper asked frantically as she 'sobbed' on his chest. She looked horrified... considering what we had seen, it was normal.

"Edward? Answer me, Edward! Is your scar again?" Esme's frantic voice returned me to earth for a moment. I guess my face was as bad as Alice's. I realized I was breathing heavily, and that my hands were pressed into fists. If I were human, they surely would be bleeding by now.

"No, Esme… is not that" I said slowly, trying to gain control of my feelings. Rosalie and Emmett were quiet now, anxious to know.

_This looks bad… come on, Alice! Tell us" _Rosalie thought.

_I had never seen her like this. I wondered what she saw. Edward? _Carlisle's thoughts were concerned, but I didn't want to tell him… it was too horrible. All I could read in Emmett and Jasper's minds was terror, nothing more. Finally, Alice calmed down a little.

"Alice?" Jasper asked, worried. She raised her head only a little, so that she could see us all without separating from Jasper's chest.

"It's fine, Alice. You can tell us when you're ready" Esme said. Carlisle nodded.

"_When she's ready? I'm sure is something bad. Really bad. I want to know now!" _Rosalie was really loosing control now.

"Rose, calm down" I asked. Fortunately my voice didn't shake too much. Emmett hugged her. "We can't let Bella know" I said to Alice. "Please" I asked, this time looking at them all. I shouldn't have said that; it only scared them more.

"_Now I'm scared" _Emmett thought.

"_So bad you don't want her to know?" _Rosalie panicked.

"_Oh, God" _Esme kept repeating on her head. She had a good intuition.

Carlisle nodded. "If you wish… but WE have to know what Alice saw" he said. Of course, he had to know. It involved us all.

"I… I saw… a coven. I don't know them" Alice said, still shaken by the vision.

"_A coven? All this for a coven?" _Rosalie thought. She was so impatient.

"The Volturi?" Jasper asked.

"No. I don't know. They're not the ones we saw in Italy… but they could be" She answered. We all looked at her, waiting for the rest, but she seemed too afraid to continue. "Then I… I saw us there… and we…we…" she started, but couldn't finish. I've never seen her like that. I was forced to finish it for her. It was important.

"She saw our bodies there… the coven was looking at them. She saw our deaths" I said, and trembled.

_**I think my evilness raised two points! Mwajaja!! First introduction to my new enemy… hope you like it nn.**_

_**Too angsty you say? Don't worry, next chapter we'll have an… err… encounter between Edward and Jacob. Considering Edward's mood and Jake's new resolution, this is going to be funny to write lol. –besides, I have to relief the horror!-**_

_**Hope you like were the story is going! (not that I give much info about that :P)**_


	4. Double conversation

"Double conversation"

**BPOV**

I had many things on my mind.

First of all, last night's talk with Jacob hadn't ended very well… in fact, it was only due to Charlie's intervention that I could actually talk with him without mentioning Edward. Second, it was already 11 am, and Edward hadn't appeared. Normally, he was as anxious as I to be here. Now I was all alone in my bedroom, waiting for him to arrive.

I was worried; was he jealous? Was he fine? I wished at least Charlie was here… my dad could distract me enough despite his quiet character. Suddenly, the window opened. I saw with delight as Edward entered my room. He approached me and kissed me fiercely, while his arms surrounded me. As always, I felt relief and peace when he was near me; well, that was not the only thing I felt, but I rather kept that thoughts away or I'll end up doing something we had agreed not to do. But something in his kiss was strange, like the urgency he showed when facing Victoria or James.

"Hi, Edward! It's all fine? You're so effusive today" I said once he stopped–unfortunately-.

"All fine. I'm just happy to see you. I've missed you" he said with my favorite smile. "How was you night?" he asked then.

"Fine, I guess… Jacob's still a little angry at the idea of us together" I admitted.

"I'm sorry" he said. As always, he was thinking about my happiness and not his. Silly selfless vampire.

"You're not jealous, are you?" I asked. It was the only apparent reason for the way he acted today.

"I'm not. Have I any reasons to be?" he asked me. Was he kidding?

"Of course not!" I answered immediately. He smiled even more.

"Well, then. Alice announces a cloudy day… do you want to go out?" he asked me. Despite the sudden sadness I heard when he mentioned Alice's name, I immediately jumped at the idea.

"Yeah!" I said eagerly. I always liked to go out with Edward, no matter the place. But we didn't have many chances, even with the weather in Forks.

Some time later, we were walking in the streets of Port Angeles. Impressive; normally, this place was sunny, but now there were heavy gray clouds over us. I was lucky… it was not common to be able to be there with him. I noticed as the people stared at us –well, really, stared at him- while we walked slowly, watching the different stores there and holding hands all the time. I saw that all girls looked at him and then at me as if they couldn't believe he was with me… well, I couldn't blame them; even _I_ couldn't believe that. Every once in a while, Edward would smile or laugh softly, listening to their thoughts.

However, I could see something different. Sometimes, when he thought I wasn't looking, he kept a serious gaze, even sad, but when he looked at me he recovered his normal attitude. I wondered what was happening; something was bothering him, I had no doubt of that, but what? I felt a little afraid, thinking about his scar, but I doubted it was that. Surely, Carlisle or Esme would have forced him to rest if it was the case. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by Edward's velvet voice.

"It seems he has decided to stalk you" he said, smiling sarcastically. I didn't understand until I saw Jacob's figure approaching. What was he doing here?

"Oh, Hi Bella! What a surprise!" Jacob said, cheerful.

**EPOV**

Jacob was definitively testing my patience.

I had endured a whole night of uncomfortable feelings to allow him to talk with Bella, but now he was crossing the line. Can't he just accept we are together? A part of me was already imagining pushing him aside, with all my vampire strength, so that he could just leave us alone. However, that would upset Bella. She raised an eyebrow; at least she didn't believe him either.

"_Look at your face__!" _"Hi, um, Edward" Jacob said. Funny, his thoughts and his words couldn't be more different.

"Jake! What are you doing here? I didn't know you liked this place" Bella said. I liked the irritated tone on her voice.

_Sorry, it has to be done. You'll thank me later _"Not really. I came to buy something. A favor for Sam" _Damn! I'll have to warn him later._ I rolled my eyes, and he noticed it.

"What? I'm ruining the moment, leec- Edward?" _because I hope so. _The boy was really trying to annoy me, then. I was NOT in the mood for his childish teasing. We could play the same game.

"No, not really. It was a fortune you arrived too late for that" I answered. Immediately, his face became as hard as stone.

_Don't push me, leech. You'll regret it_. "Really?" he asked. Good, if he was going to make me angry, I could do the same.

"Can you two stop that? I hate it when you argue. Seth can be friendly, why can't you too?" Bella asked. Well, because Seth has a pure and kind heart, while Jacob… I rather not think of it.

_Because Seth is too naïve. _"Alright, I'll try" Jacob's mind was definitively on a different direction.

"But tell me… how is everything in La Push? I'm sure they're happy to have you back" Bella said. She was obviously trying to change the topic.

"Everything's fine. Seth was so happy when I…" _I want to talk with you. Now. _I didn't expect that. Jacob had actually managed to speak fluently with Bella and contact me mentally at the same time. I had to give him some credit for that. I nodded for him to continue.

_First, know that I totally disagree with her. No matter how much she loves you, you don't have the right to take away her life. _"… Sam's still reluctant to see Alphonse as a father. Guess its normal: look what he did to his mom" He continued.

"It's her choice" I answered to his thoughts, careful to disguise it as a comment to his words.

_NO, it's not! She can live a normal life if she's not with you. You are the cause of it all. Besides, you'll break the treaty… it would mean war. That's what you want? _"… but the weather is so bad today. It doesn't bother you?" Jacob said.

"No" I answered the same way. "But I can't live otherwise"

_So you admit you're being selfish? I don't like that…I'll do anything, and I mean _anything _to stop you. If I have to kill you for that… _I felt anger rise inside of me. The dog was trying to scare me?

"So, Jake. Have you talked with the hunter?" Bella asked. The perfect time to answer Jacob's thoughts.

"I don't think you can. You shouldn't even try it… maybe you'll regret it" I said as a warning. I knew a fight would hurt Bella, but I was not willing to die. Jacob heard the sudden warning in my voice, and became serious.

"Yeah. Maybe you're right" _I'm not afraid of you. I'm stronger than that guy, Alphonse, and I'll surely take you down if you insist on changing her._ This was getting dangerous. It seemed Jacob really wanted to fight.

"It's your choice, though. But it doesn't chance anything. The events are the same" I said, hoping it sounded like a continuation to our 'conversation'. Bella seemed to suspect something was happening, but said nothing.

_Your funeral, leech. We can talk later… when she's not involved. Midnight?_ I nodded again; if he wanted to be aggressive, we better solved this outside of public view.

"I suppose. Well, I better go. Sam's going to be angry if I'm late. He'll probably think I ran away again" Jacob said. Without waiting for an answer from Bella, he turned and leaved. _I'll be waiting_.

**BPOV**

That had to be the weirdest conversation of my whole life.

Despite his firm answers, Jacob's mind seemed to be elsewhere. I felt as Edward's hand tensed a little whenever he looked at him. I wondered if he had read something on Jake's mind. Even if they had acted polite to each other –well, as polite as they could- I sensed the tension in the air, as if something really wrong was happening right in front of me. When Jacob left, I looked at Edward.

"What was that?" I asked him. He simply shrugged.

"As I said, he tries to ruin the moment" he answered. Maybe he was telling the truth, but there was something more… I could feel it. I kept staring at him, waiting for an answer.

"Jacob's thoughts are too vivid to my liking. He still thinks of you. A lot. I guess you don't want me to describe, right?" he said. I blushed, already imagining where Jake's thoughts could be heading. He laughed when he saw that, and put his arm around my shoulders.

"I love when you blush" he said into my ear.

"I thought it made things harder for you" I said, remembering his words.

"Silly Bella. I can control myself. Besides, if it's difficult anyways, why shouldn't I enjoy it?" he said, and then kissed me softly. For now, I couldn't question him further. I decided to wait until we were home.

Luckily, Charlie hadn't arrived yet, so I could really ask Edward anything. I knew he was hiding something, and I was going to make him confess. Once we entered, Edward growled softly.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He looked angry.

"I swear Jacob is getting on my nerves" he said, annoyed.

"He's here?"

"Near here. I wish he could just leave" he said. I sighed and hugged him to try and calm him.

"Don't be angry. He's just worried about me. He's a good friend" I said, but Edward's face changed. I couldn't quite interpret the look on his eyes. Sadness, perhaps…

"I'm sorry. It's just that I…" he started, but stopped abruptly. In a second, he closed his eyes and placed a hand on his chest. I recognized the gesture and panicked. It was exactly the same he did when he'd been injured and didn't want me to know how much it hurt. Before I could react, he fell on his knees, screaming in agony.

_**New chapter!! I was about to go crazy (even more) with Jake's and Edward's chat… argh! So much to write! And the**__**n, make it coherent enough so Bella can't suspect when Edward answers… argh!! Hope it sounds right. That was really difficult. Confused?**_

_**And I guess I don't need to hide it: I always wanted to read Edward vs Jacob on the Twilight series but, since that's not happening, I'm going to write it. And with no Bella intervention, so they can unleash their fury!! Mwajaja!! YAY! But don't fear, my beloved readers (:P) I don't plan to kill them… but I'm still deciding how I'm going to stop them before that lol**_

_**Hope you liked it!**_

_**I'm Evil!! XD**_


	5. Prelude

"Prelude"

**BPOV**

I doubted my nightmares where worst tan this.

The moment Edward screamed –something I've never heard before- and fell on his knees, I felt as if my heart would shatter. What was wrong with him? I immediately kneeled next to him. He kept his eyes tightly shut, and grabbed his chest with such strength I wondered if he tried to tear it apart. I hugged him, without even trying to conceal my tears. I hated to see him like that. He screamed again, pressing himself closer to me.

"Edward! Please, what's wrong? Edward!" I kept repeating, almost screaming too. I caressed his back softly, trying to offer as much comfort as I could.

"Sorry… it's just…" he tried to explain, but he lost his voice. He moaned in pain, while I kept hugging him with all the strength I had.

"We have to call Carlisle! He'll know what to do!" I said to him.

"No… please don't…" he managed to say through clenched teeth. Why was he being so stubborn? I felt angry. He needed help. NOW. No matter what he said. I tried to move, but he stopped me with his free hand.

"Please… no… he knows…" he said with an effort. He knows? Well, he had a point there. It was almost certain Alice had seen this; surely they all knew what was happening right now. I wanted to question him more than ever. It seemed this was not the first time this happened. Was this what he was trying to hide from me? But I refrained from asking… right now, he was suffering too much. All I could do was waiting for the 'attack' to pass.

After what seemed like an eternity, Edward calmed down. I could feel his labored breathing, product of the impact of the agony he had endured. Without letting him go, I asked.

"Is it better now?" I realized my voice was shaking. I was still crying.

"Yes… a little" he answered with a hoarse voice. He stood up slowly, but he seemed a little unstable on his feet. Before he could protest, I helped him sit down on the couch; I sat next to him, and he noticed my teary eyes.

"Sorry" he said. His voice sounded tired.

"Don't be. I was scared. Are you sure you're better? We still can call Carlisle… I don't think you should go home alone" I said. He simply nodded, but I could see his breathing was still somewhat labored.

"It's fine. I'm sure someone is coming" he answered. I felt so bad for him… why was he so stubborn?

"This is not the first time, right?" I asked.

"No. The second" he answered, obviously reluctant to admit it. The second? At least he was being honest.

"You should have told me… and you should take better care of yourself." I said, a little angry. He always thought about others before himself.

"I didn't want to scare you or worry you. It's nothing" he said, his voice more firm. Now I was really angry.

"It's nothing?! Are you crazy?! You can't scream in pain and then say 'it's nothing'!! There's something wrong with you! Why don't you forget your stupid stubbornness and let me help you!" I screamed at him, but regretted it when I saw I'd hurt his feelings.

"Because I want, at least once, to make things right" he said, so slowly I barely heard him. "I don't want to pressure it and risk…" he continued, but stopped. I took his head in my hands and placed it on my shoulder, then I hugged him again.

"It's all going to be fine. I know you wont hurt me… you need it, Edward. It's too painful for me to see you like this. Please" I said, while one of my hands pushed his head so that his lips touched my neck. I felt his body tense: I knew the scent would be too strong… that's what I wanted. I he wasn't going to cooperate, I was going to force him.

"No, Bella… please…" he whispered. I shivered when I felt his mouth near my ear, and then on my neck. I waited for the pain… but he only kissed me and then raised his head. I sighed in defeat.

"You're so stubborn" I said, annoyed. He smiled sadly.

"I can wait" he said. Well, if he wasn't going to do it, I could at least know how bad it was.

"So, Carlisle knows about this?" I asked, still angry.

"Yes. But he's not sure if my scar has anything to do with it" he answered, again being honest to my surprise.

"But what else can be? Vampires don't get sick, right?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"No, we don't. At least as far as we know" he said, smiling softly. I rolled my eyes.

"Emmett's here" He said suddenly. I was reluctant to leave his side, but I forced myself to stand up and open the door. Certainly, Emmett was standing there.

"Hi, Bella. How're you?" he asked, smiling, but I could see a small trace of worry on his eyes. Soon, Edward was there too.

"How're _you_, Edward?" Emmett asked. Edward simply made a dismissive sign with his hand, as if it was nothing.

**EPOV**

I wanted to say 'honestly, scared to death', but I couldn't in front of Bella. She was already scared.

"Carlisle wants to see you at home" Emmett continued. _You surely want to escape, right?_. I was surprised; Emmett was more observant than I gave him credit for.

"Alright" I answered. I really had other appointment in mind. A more dangerous one.

"I want to go!" Bella immediately asked. Of course, she'll want to make sure I was fine. I hated to scare her like that. Just looking at her teary eyes made me feel terrible. I shouldn't be doing this to her. But, since I wasn't really going home, I would have to make her stay.

"What about Charlie? You promised to be home early" I said, praying she would obey.

"I can leave him a note" she said. And _I_ was stubborn?

"I'm not sure. He still has his doubts about me. I'm sure he'll be angry if you leave like that. I'll call you soon to tell you everything, ok?" I said. _I doubt she'll accept that easily. _Emmett thought, but I ignored him. Bella seemed to think for a minute… and Emmett interrupted.

"He'll be fine, Bella. If there is something wrong, I promise to come and pick you up. Deal?" he said. _Hope you have a good reason for this. She'll hate me if she finds out. _Emmett thought. Yes; I have a very good reason… waiting for me at the forest.

"Alright. But if you don't call me soon, I'll go alone" she said, sighing. Well, at least she had agreed to stay. I kissed her good bye –would this be the last time?- and left.

Soon, Emmett and I were running through the forest. More than once, I had the feeling someone was following us, but so far away I couldn't smell it.

_Are you sure you should be running like this?_ Emmett thought, worried.

"I feel fine now, Em. Besides, I can't use the car here" I answered. This time, he decided to speak.

"You're going somewhere?" he asked, surprised. I sighed; they would find out anyways.

"Jacob wants to talk with me. I'm meeting him at the forest" I said. Well, I wasn't being very honest… I doubted Jacob wanted to 'talk'.

"I'll go with you" Emmett said. _Someone has to watch your back. _No. I didn't want him, or any of my family, there. If Jacob wanted to fight, I won't involve them in it.

"It's better if I go alone. He could think I'm trying to attack him if he sees you there" I said. Actually, if Emmett was there, I was sure Jacob would call the rest of the pack. It would make things worse. Emmett thought about it for a second, but I could see he wanted to believe me.

_I hate missing the fun_. He thought.

"What fun? We're going to talk there" Yeah… sure. Funny; he thought the same.

_I trust you… just don't loose, ok? _Emmett thought. I smiled at him. If someone was going to allow me to go alone to 'settle' things with Jacob, that was Emmett. Thank god he was the one picking me up.

"Thank you, Em." I said.

In a second, he was gone. I wondered how long it would take for him to arrive home, and how much to tell my family what had happened… and what was going to happen. I tried to imagine their reactions, but I was sure they all would be scared and angry. I felt guilty when I thought of Esme, my mother, who would surely feel terrified… but the face that hurt more was my father's: when Carlisle find out what I was going to do, I was sure he'll be disappointed. But I couldn't avoid it; I couldn't allow Jacob to attack them someday, to try and destroy my family during the wedding. Even worse, I couldn't allow him to get me unprepared… I didn't WANT to die, so I'll have to face him directly, before he chose otherwise.

I saw him standing in a clearing, waiting for me. He was human. That was good.

_You're late. I was starting to think you were chicken. _Jacob's mind, as usual, was very annoying. I didn't answer.

"This is going to be for us. Only you and I. The pack won't interfere" He said. I doubted that; Sam would surely act if I won… but it gave me a little hope, anyways. If this was going to be just the two of us, then maybe the treaty wouldn't be involved.

The last thought I had was that Bella would be angry at me.

--

Near a tree, hiding, a figure watched without interest.

_**Yes, I can hear you… nothing happened here! I know, but I wanted to make an excuse for keeping Bella in her house, but at the same time made her somewhat conscious of what's happening. You know she didn't really believe Edward :P**_

_**And we still have a mystery here… but I'm not telling! XD. Poor Edward! And that little argument between him and Bella is not entirely mine :P, it came up from a small dialogue from LinaLina's comment… all hail her for the inspiration!! lol**_

_**This is going to be a complicated fight… I don't know if Jacob can just ignore the treaty in this case but, honestly, I don't think he cares :P Next chapter we'll have a battle! (still trying to get an idea to keep them BOTH alive… hope I can… sigh)**_

_**Oh! And I made a question for **__**my Spanish readers… you can see it on my profile. Please tell me what you think! ;)**_


	6. Conflict

"Conflict"

**EPOV**

I approached the clearing, resolved. I didn't want to kill him, but I was not going to let him kill _me_ either.

"So… you agree to this?" Jacob asked. Stupid question.

"No. You know this is going to hurt Bella" I answered. The thought of her brought a burst of guilt. How could he do this to her?

"She'll get over it. Besides, it doesn't have to end like this" he said. Now he was offering a peaceful solution? Really, I don't get this guy. _Just don't turn her… let her live _he almost begged. If he knew that I wanted the same…

"She wants it, Jacob. It's not my choice anymore" I said. He had to understand. He didn't know how many times I had begged for the same, but now she was resolved. If she really wished it, then I wouldn't be able to deny it.

_It is your choice. _"You can step away, you know? Leave her. You did it once" Jacob said. I had to stop reading his thoughts… they were too painful to watch. I couldn't believe he was proposing that solution, especially after seeing the agony it had been for Bella. My Bella.

"Yes, and look at her. She suffered" I said. "I'm only doing what she wants. If you want to stop it, you should talk to her"

"It's all your fault! I see you as you truly are… I've heard Alphonse's story. You're a murderer! Bella doesn't deserve that!" he screamed. I was angry; a simple boy with so little time in this world could never understand my suffering.

"You see what you want to see, Jacob. If I were as bad as you think, you wouldn't be here" I said. It was true. Bella never knew how many times I'd been about to attack him.

_Ha! Really? _"I don't think you can beat me, bloodsucker" Jacob said, menacing. As I thought, he had planned a fight all along. "Promise not to turn her, or die here" he finished.

"I can't promise you anything. You know her; she's stubborn" I said. I saw as his body trembled furiously… he was loosing control.

"That's not an excuse!" he screamed. In a second, he was a wolf. _Stop saying that! You can avoid it and you know it! She doesn't deserve this! _Well, I agreed with that. But Bella had made her choice.

"You should try to understand her rather than hurt her!" I roared at him.

_I understand her! I LOVE her! And who's hurting her? You left her here, broken, once. Then you almost kill her a month ago!_ Jacob was really angry this time. My heart hurt at those words; a part of me believed they were true, but the rest of me felt furious.

"It was Alphonse who tried to kill her! You're just looking for excuses to attack!" I said. How dared he blame me for that? The wolf roared.

_You have caused her so much damage… if she's not willing to do something, I will! _He thought.

"She'll hate you for it!" I said. My last attempt at reason.

_I can live with that, as long as she lives, too. _Jacob thought. Despite my anger, I recognized my words there; I had thought that so many times before. But Jacob didn't want to talk anyways and, with a growl, charged towards me.

It was different than the fight with Alphonse. Jacob was more impulsive, almost attacking by instinct alone. In a way, it made things harder for me… not many thoughts to read. But at the last moments, he started planning the movements, and I could evade them. I moved quickly to the right to avoid his teeth. He immediately turned and tried to bite my neck. I punched him on the muzzle and heard as his bones break. He whimpered and stepped back for a second.

_Fight fair! _He growled. But I was fighting fair… I was using only my natural gift. Anything to survive, right? He charged towards me again, but this time he jumped to try and fall over me. But I had seen the movement, and evaded him again. His claws managed to rip my shirt… and he saw the scar on my chest.

_So that's why you want to bite her! For your own good!_ He thought. I felt insulted; I would NEVER risk Bella's life for my own benefit. I growled at him. _I got the point, right? _He asked mockingly. I growled again. He ran towards me, but I could see he was aiming the scar. Before he could do something, I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him towards a tree. He whimpered again as my fingers break his bones. Before I could move, he used his paws to push me. I felt as the claws tore at my flesh, but I didn't care… I had faced it before. I fell heavily on the ground, but stood up quickly.

"Stop this, Jacob! I don't want to hurt you!" I asked him. Well, to be honest, at this point I _wanted_ to, but I had to stop him for Bella. The wolf merely growled.

_Liar. I know you've been jealous of me… you know she loves me too. I'm just trying to save her life here! Don't pretend you're good! _Jacob said. He had a point there. He then charged again, but this time I didn't evade him anymore; I charged too. We both crashed at the middle of the clearing, rolling on the ground while we tried to get the upper hand. He bit my arm, and I growled in pain when he tried to rip it apart. Before he could do it, I grabbed his paw and dragged him with all my strength. I even lifted him of the ground before sending him towards another tree, which broke with the impact.

"Stupid dog! I said to you I don't want to die! For Bella's sake, and mine, I can't let you win!" I roared at him.

_You're selfish, leech! You plan to take her life away, and you don't even regret it! You're a monster, you go against nature! _Jacob said, while running towards me again. He moved fast, impulsively, and I couldn't read his thoughts. He managed to catch my neck, and was pressing his jaws to crush it. I roared in agony. _It ends now! Sorry, Bella… _I was surprised by that thought. But I remembered Bella's face; her expression from hours ago, when she had seen my agony. I was not going to die here! I grabbed Jacob's jaws with my hands, and forced them open.

"I have news for you, Jacob; I am part of nature too! Who do you think created me?!" I said to him. He was suddenly distracted by my logic –enraged, really- and that gave me the chance to open his jaws totally and send him on the floor again.

_You're so arrogant!_ Jacob said. _A monster! _He stood up immediately, and jumped towards me. I crouched to avoid him, but he turned and attacked my shoulder from behind. I growled and launched myself towards a tree. Since he refused to let go, he crashed against it. The impact was so strong he released me, and I turned to hit him again. I opened my mouth, ready to bite him… but Bella's face stopped me. I had promised myself not to kill Jacob. He stood up and, using the opportunity, hit me with his paws. I fell to the ground, and he was over me in a second, again searching my neck. I grabbed his head to stop him, but he didn't step back.

I felt him crushing my chest. The scar was a disadvantage; he knew where to attack. My neck and my shoulder hurt terribly, and my recent 'attack' at Bella's house had left me aching all over. I kicked Jacob, and he fell to the ground too, growling.

_Well, I must admit you're not so bad at this _Jacob said. Well, I've had practice.

"Neither you" I said to him. If only I could subdue him… he charged again, and I did the same. None of us was willing to stop. In Jacob's mind there was always an image: Bella. He really was trying to save her, to avoid her transformation. I felt bad for him; no matter my personal feelings, he was a good boy. He deserved a chance. But I doubted I could give it to him.

He tried to bite my leg, but I kicked him instead. Before he could react, I placed myself behind him and fell over his back. I tried to push him to the ground, as I'd done with the hunter, but he somehow knew it. Instead of the natural surprise I expected, I saw in his mind a conversation he'd had with Alphonse. He knew what I was doing. He used all the strength in his legs to stand up; I refused to let him go, and he ran towards a tree. I already could see the plan in his mind: he was going to crush me like I've done with him. But instead of staying there, I moved to place my feet on the ground. I braced his neck and, with all my strength, dragged him towards the ground. He growled in pain, but I made sure I wasn't breaking his neck.

He fell heavily on the ground, but I didn't release him. He tried to move, but I pushed him harder. I could see he was having trouble breathing… that's what I wanted. The only way to subdue him without hurting him was to leave him out of air. He still had energy, though, for he managed to stand up again, just a little, and tried to use his paw to hurt me. His claws pierced my face, but I closed my eyes to avoid further damage. I felt as they tore the skin on my face, the pain when they moved… but I didn't surrender. I pushed him again, and this time one of his legs broke. He couldn't resist much longer. Finally, he was on the ground, with my arms still around his neck.

_What are you waiting for? Finish! _He said. But I had other plans.

"Phase back, Jacob! I don't want to kill you!" I ordered him. I saw in his mind that the hunter had told him my words back then, the same words I had just said. Jacob was shocked; apparently, he thought I would kill him. Suddenly, his thoughts changed.

_Traitor! I told you this was between you and I! __No more! _He said. I was confused; I WAS alone here… but then I smelled it. Another scent filled the air, one that was unfamiliar to me. And it was not a werewolf.

"It's not one of my family" I said to him. Strangely enough, he believed me. Suddenly, I felt pain in my chest again. Not only there; it was as if all the wounds inflicted by Jacob had decided to bother me at the same time. The pain was unbearable… I released Jacob's neck, but he didn't stand up. Beneath the clouds in my mind –product of my agony- I heard Jacob's whimpers. He was suffering too. I wondered what was happening, but I was too disoriented to focus. The pain was too much… in a second, all went black.

_**Finally, my battle scene! Maybe it's shorter than the one with Alphonse, but there's a reason for it: first of all, Alphonse is more experienced than Jacob –he's older- and knows how to attack, while Jake is more impulsive; second, Edward doesn't want to be too aggressive with Jake –for Bella's sake- while he didn't care about that with the hunter… hope you liked it!**_

_**And I found a way to keep them alive!! My infamous villain!! Ejem… forget that. And sorry, Jacob fans, but I really think he can't beat Edward (mind reading+100 years experience bad for Jacob); just my opinion, though (don't hate me!!).**_

_**By the way… I hated Jake's remark in Eclipse, saying Edward goes against nature… seriously, no matter what he is, he has his origins in nature as everything in this world (evolution?), so… unless Edward was created in some twisted experiment (which I doubt) he IS part of nature, too (sorry, Jake)**_


	7. Suspicion

"Suspicion"

**BPOV**

I awoke with a strange feeling this morning. A bad feeling.

I waited for Emmett to arrive, in case there was something wrong, but nothing had happened. Alice had called last night, saying precisely that, and that Edward probably would be out hunting this morning. I had wanted to go and see him, but Charlie arrived and said it was better if I waited until morning. As far as he was concerned, there was no reason for rushing… but I knew better.

I've had an uneasy sleep. On those brief moments I'd been able to do so, I could only see images of Edward, screaming in agony, and I was forced to wake up. I was so worried about him. I sighed; I'll have to wait a little more to see him, since he should be out hunting right now. Well, at least I could spend some time with Jake to pass the time.

Immediately after breakfast, I dialed Jacob's number. Billy answered almost immediately. Weird.

"Oh, hi Billy! Is Jacob there?" I asked.

"Hello, Bella. Sorry, but he's sleeping. I'll let him know you called" he said, and hung up.

I stood there, shocked. There was definitively something wrong here. Normally, Billy wasn't that rude to me. Besides, he told me he'll tell Jacob I had called, instead of telling me to call later or that he would do so… it was as if he was implying Jacob couldn't talk to me. I added another point to my worries: was Jacob sick? Hurt? Depressed? I suspected this had something to do with the strange encounter in Port Angeles, but Edward was not available to ask. I dialed Alice's phone, hoping she'll know something.

"Bella? I told you he's fine, you don't have to be that obsessive" Alice said. I got even more suspicious; she had answered too quickly and had been too reassuring.

"Yeah, I know what you said, Alice. I just want to ask you if you know anything about Jacob" I said.

"Jacob? Why would I know?" she asked, but I heard a small glimpse of doubt in her voice. She was hiding something.

"I don't know. Yesterday he and Edward had an odd conversation… he didn't tell you anything?" I said.

"Well, no. He just said Jacob was trying to ruin the moment" Alice answered.

"Hey, Alice. Can I go to your house? I want to wait Edward there" I said. Let's see how she reacts. For a moment, she was silent, confirming my suspects.

"Well… yeah, I guess. But he'll be late" she said. Fine.

"Don't worry. See you there" I said, and hung up before she could protest. I practically ran to my car and started to drive. I was going to get my answers.

**EPOV**

I awoke on my room.

I realized I was lying on the bed… this fainting thing was something weird. I wondered if any other vampire had felt like this. So strange.

"You feel better, Edward?" Carlisle asked. He was sitting on a chair next to me. I sat too, analyzing. I didn't know exactly how I felt… sore, I guess. Another strange feeling for a vampire.

"Yes. I guess" I said.

_You scared us. I was worried. _Carlisle's mind showed the same love and caring he always felt towards me. Hadn't he heard what I've done?

"Carlisle, I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to risk the treaty but…" I said, but he smiled at me.

_Don't worry. He threatened you. You just tried to protect your life. _"The treaty's still on, I guess. Sam was pretty angry when we arrived there" Carlisle said. Sure, Sam was obviously angry for that fight.

"I'm sure he is. I'm surprised he didn't attack you all" I said. Carlisle looked at me; he seemed amused by my answer. Why?

_He's not angry with us. _"He's angry with Jacob" he said. For a moment, I wondered if I was hallucinating again.

"With Jacob?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yes. He saw it all on his head, and is furious at him for starting a fight. Apparently, he thinks we should be the ones doing that" my father explained. Well, at least I didn't have to fear any war… soon.

"How did you find us? Alice can't see" I asked with a soft voice. Now that I was awake, I could feel the results of that battle. Jacob was certainly a good fighter. Carlisle seemed to notice.

"Don't move too much. He almost ripped your arm off, and your neck isn't in very good shape either. You'll have to feed" he said. "Well, we had to follow your scent; it was not too long until we found his too. But when we arrived, you two were unconscious on the ground. What happened?" he asked. I was wondering the same.

"I don't know. We were fighting –actually, I had him subdued- when my scar started to hurt. I only remember hearing Jacob's whimpers of pain… you didn't see anyone? We both smelled a scent there. A vampire scent" I said, suddenly afraid. What if the vampire had gone after Bella while I was unconscious?

_A vampire? Jasper said something about that, but we didn'__t find anything. Alice didn't saw it. Wait a minute… _"Aren't you sure? You couldn't read a thought?" Carlisle asked.

"No. It's strange. I'm sure I should have heard it" I said, more anxious about Bella's safety than that. Again, Carlisle seemed to notice it.

"Bella's fine. Esme was checking on her all this time. I thought it would be good to distract her" he said. Of course, she needed to be distracted from her worries about my health. I sighed in relief. Suddenly, Alice entered the room; she seemed agitated.

"Carlisle! Bella's coming… Edward, you look terrible! He ruined your face" she said. I panicked; I had still the wounds on my body… she surely would notice the marks on my face.

"Thank you, Alice" I said sarcastically. "What do we do?" I asked my father. Carlisle seemed calm.

"Well, we told her you were hunting, so you could do exactly that" he said. So easy it was ridiculous… why didn't I think of that? I stood up, grimacing slightly at the pain. Jasper entered the room.

"I'll go with you" he offered. _I have something to tell you. _I nodded.

We both starting running. Soon we were deep inside the forest; I hated to hunt the simple prey, but right now I didn't have a choice.

_Are you ok, Edward? You're slower than normal. _Jasper asked. He was worried. I smiled to him without stopping.

"Don't worry. It hurts a little, but I'm fine" I said. The truth is I hadn't even realized I was running slower. I was focused on resisting the pain I felt… sometimes it was harder.

_Tell me if you're tired. You know I know. _Jasper said. Certainly, he could feel my unsteadiness on my feelings. I ignored the waves of pain and tried to change the subject.

"What do you wanted to talk about?" I asked him. I realized my voice didn't sound as firm as before. If I kept going like this I will surely faint again; the pain was rising. Unfortunately, Jasper noticed it.

_Let's rest here. _He said, stopping near a small stream. Surely, some prey would pass soon. We both sat on a rock near it, careful to stay hidden from view. I couldn't suppress a sigh of relief once I sat down.

"You don't have to push yourself so hard, Edward. It's not good for you" Jasper said, serious. I smiled to reassure him I was fine, but I doubted he'd believe me. _I mean it… you'll end up killing yourself. _No, he definitively didn't believe me. We both laughed softly; the phrase sounded silly on vampire context.

"So…?" I asked. I was really curious to know what he wanted to say. It couldn't be anything good. He sighed.

"Alice had the vision again. Yesterday, when you were, um, gone" Jasper said, and shuddered. _I hate to see her like that. _I knew it, because I hated it too… and I was not in love with her, so it must be worse for him.

"Anything new this time?" I asked, trying to sound calm. I even forgot the pain of my wounds. He nodded.

"She saw an approximate date for that. Two weeks" Jasper said. _Is not much. I'm really worried… we don't even know them and we're supposed to fight in so little time._ I shared his worries. Two weeks? I was going to get married in one… how could life be so unfair?

"But nothing… changed?" I asked, hopeful.

_Sorry, it's all the same. You are the last one… _Jasper said, sadness evident on his tone. I sighed.

"What can we do, Jasper? You're the expert here" I said. Jasper laughed without humor.

_You won't like it. _"The best option is to wait. You can't fight in your current condition, and we know nothing about the coven. The best course of action is waiting to know more. Gather information" he said. I growled softly.

_I knew you didn't like it. Emmett's as angry as you. _"I don't want that, either, but I don't see any other solution. We'll have to wait for them to make the first move" Jasper said. No matter how bad it sounded, his plan had certain logic… and he WAS the expert, so I trusted him.

_Do you think it's the Volturi? _He asked. After all, I was the only one who had seen the images besides of Alice. I shrugged.

"They are dressed in black, but I'm not sure. If they want to destroy us, why send someone else? I'm sure they would have sent Jane or Demetri" I said. We both remained there, waiting.

_You should tell her. _Jasper said. I shivered at the idea. How was I supposed to tell Bella that my family was going to die in two weeks? Worst of it: that I was going to end her life? I couldn't do it.

_She's strong, and she's involved too. I she doesn't know, there's a risk she'll do something to make it worse. _Jasper's remark had logic. Bella could end up doing something wrong by accident, just for ignorance, and then it WILL be my fault for keeping this from her. A deer appeared, distracting us both. I felt hungry.

_You first. _Jasper said. He had felt my urgency. With a soft gasp of pain, I crouched, ready to attack.

_**I have to say something: I liked the talk between Edward and Jasper :P I like all the Cullens, but I feel like we don't get much of Jasper…**__** or brotherly love between he and Edward, so I decided to make this talk with him (my original idea was Carlisle… good option, too).**_

_**And if I were Edward, I wouldn't have the courage to tell Bella… but I'm still deciding if he will. And Bella's suspicious… of course, she'll get to know someday that her love and her best friend were "solving their differences" lol**_

_**And now I know how to distract Esme! She almost killed me when she found out (forgive me Esmeeeeee!!)**_

_**Hope you liked it nn (come on! Raise my self esteem! :P)**_


	8. Forgiveness

"Forgiveness"

**BPOV**

When Alice opened the door for me, I definitively knew something was happening.

"Hi, Bella!" she said, and ran to hug me. But I felt something strange. She looked different; her normally enthusiastic attitude was gone, and her eyes showed a glimpse of worry and sadness. She hugged me tightly, as if she was afraid of loosing me.

"Hi Alice… are you ok?" I asked. She immediately released me and smiled.

"Of course I am. Why do you ask?" she said, as if she really didn't know the motives behind my question.

"Nothing in particular. Just happy to see you" I said, trying to ignore my thoughts. Maybe I was just anxious. We walked towards the living room, where the rest of the Cullens were. Emmett and Rosalie were playing cards –weird-, while Esme was cleaning the piano. It was kinda odd to see them like that; so… normal. I smiled.

"Hey, Bella! How're you today?" Emmett asked. He was always so effusive.

"Fine, Emmett. Thanks for asking" I said, blushing slightly. He laughed soundly when he noticed. Rosalie simply moved her head to greet me, and I smiled at her… at least she didn't hate me as much as before. Esme approached.

"Good morning, Bella" she said. I noticed there where two people missing.

"Hi, Esme… Alice, where's Jasper?" I asked.

"He's out with Edward" she answered. Of course, ever since the incident with the hunter, Esme didn't allow Edward to hunt alone. I smiled even more; I knew he was pretty annoyed by it. Alice then smiled too.

"They're coming" she said. I felt my heart beat faster, a reaction I always had when I was about to see Edward. I noticed all the Cullens were gathering at the living room; Carlisle appeared there almost immediately. Yes, there was something wrong here… I was wondering how to make them confess when a velvet voice greeted me.

"Bella!" Edward said, smiling. Behind him, Jasper looked at Alice… I thought I saw him made a gesture to her. In a second, Edward was in front of me. He took my face with his icy hands and kissed me. In that moment, I forgot everything: my purpose there, my questions, my worries… all that mattered was Edward's soft lips pressing mine, his sweet fragrance filling my senses, his beautiful face close to mine. I even grimaced in sadness when he stopped.

"And that's a kiss… right, bro?" Emmett asked him, and laughed. I blushed, but Edward merely looked at Emmett raising an eyebrow.

"I think we'll give you some time" Carlisle said, and we were alone in a second. My curiosity awoke again; they were behaving so weird today. We sat on the couch, and he placed an arm around my waist.

"So… did you miss me that much?" Edward asked with a crooked smile. I placed my head on his shoulder.

"You know I did…" I said. He chuckled. "Can I ask you something?" I said, and noticed he tensed a little. He was probably expecting another 'drink my blood' fight.

"Anything, Bella" he answered.

"When we met Jacob yesterday… did you notice something different? I tried to call him this morning, but Billy implied I can't see him" I said. I saw as Edward's face became sad. So he knew. "Can you please tell me?" I asked. He closed his eyes and moved his head to the side, as if he was reluctant to share. When I looked at his neck, I saw something… it was very small, but I could see a mark there. Claws? Before I could guess more, it disappeared. I realized with a gasp that it had really healed before my eyes. It couldn't be…

"Jacob… he… he attacked you?" I asked, without hiding the pain in my voice.

**EPOV**

I heard Bella's voice was full of pain… and I felt worse than ever. No matter the circumstances, I had hurt Bella's best friend; I had hurt her feelings. I felt terribly sorry. I didn't want to say this to her, but I knew she'll find out later –Jacob would surely tell her- so it was better if it was I who said it first. I nodded, answering her question. I saw with regret as her eyes filled with tears… that hurt more than anything, more than my scar, more than Jacob's wounds.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I couldn't avoid it… you have all the right to be angry at me" I said. She suddenly looked at me with worry.

"How are you? Are you hurt? Is he…?" she said, too quickly even I had trouble understanding her. She was already trying to take my shirt off to see if I was wounded. I stopped her.

"I'm fine… I just fed. He's alive… I didn't kill him" I forced myself to say. I hated to cause her that much pain. I caressed her face with my hand, washing away her tears.

"What the hell were you two thinking?! How could Jake attack you when he knows I love you?! How can he…?! What if you…?! Oh, Edward!" she said, passing suddenly from rage to sadness, and pressed herself closer to me. I hugged her while she cried, whishing more than ever to read her thoughts. Was she angry at me, or at him? Did she hate me? Was she crying because of Jacob, or because of me? But the thing that worried me most was that she still had to know something worse…

_You have to tell her. _I heard Alice's thoughts. _She's strong. _I knew that, but how could I cause her even more agony?

"It's ok, Bella… I'm so sorry. Please forgive me" I said, praying she would listen. She raised her head to look at me with her beautiful chocolate eyes. She was… angry.

"Don't start apologizing, Edward! He threatened you, isn't he? When we were at Port Angeles" she said. I was shocked; how could she know that? I thought she'd side with him in this.

"Well… not exactly, he just said he'll do anything to stop me from changing you" I said. Of course, he HAD threatened me, but I couldn't say that to her. He was her friend. "I'm sorry…" I said again.

"Don't say it again… I… I understand. Jacob said to me he was willing to stop it, it's just that… I hate to do this to him… I wish he could understand… I hate to make you two fight…" she said between sobs. I simply hugged her.

"You are not angry at me?" I asked, surprised. I had expected she would be mad, and instead she was being too comprehensive. It was scary… it made me think she was hiding her real thoughts.

"Who attacked first?" she asked. She was willing to believe my words? She trusted in me more than I deserved, but I was being honest, after all.

"We met at the forest. I tried to reason with him, but we both got angry… he transformed, and I attacked him when he charged." I said. It was the truth: he had made the first move, but would she believe me? I saw her eyes. She did believe me. Why?

"He… I have to go see him" she said. That hurt too, but I tried to understand: she loved him as a friend –or I hoped so- and surely she'll need to see if he was fine. But I felt terrified; each wound she'll see in him was product of my hands, of my fury. She seemed to notice my sadness, for she reached for my face, caressing it with her soft, warm hand.

"It's ok, Edward. I'm not mad at you… I'm just sad… and I'm worried about Jacob too. I forgive you, you were just defending yourself. But please, I need to see him; don't be sad" she said. I felt miserable; _she_ was comforting _me_? It should have been the other way around.

"Can you play something for me?" she asked. I wondered if the shock had been too much for her mind. Now she wanted me to play? I couldn't stop my doubts.

"Are you sure it's all fine? You should be angry… I attacked him… I…" I said, unable to express with words how bad I felt for doing this to her. She placed one hand on my mouth.

"It's fine, really… I was angry at first but… I just knew something like this could happen. I love you, Edward, and I trust you. I know you won't hurt anyone without reason, and I know Jake sometimes is impulsive… please, play for me. It will help" she said, begging me. Now I understood… despite her understanding, she still felt bad; she wanted a distraction to control her feelings. Without a word, we moved towards the piano.

I played her lullaby, hoping to calm her. It worked for me too; the movement of my fingers and the music seemed to calm my nerves. She relaxed and moved closer to me. I looked through the giant window, wondering if she had really forgiven me… until she raised her head and kissed mi cheek. Her love was still there, and it made me feel strange. For one thing, I felt happy: she loved me still, despite the entire situation; for another, I felt sad, unworthy: what had I done to deserve someone like her? But then I remembered Alice's advice. My family was waiting for me to say to her all about the danger approaching us. I cleared my throat.

"Bella, I have something to tell you…" I started, but stopped when I saw the sudden movement of a figure outside the house. It was the same I'd seen before, on the road.

"Edward?" Bella asked, worried. Before I could answer her, I felt the same wave of agony in my chest. I placed my hand over it, as if that could stop the pain. I moaned when it rose even more… what was happening? I heard Bella's frantic voice beside me, but I was disoriented. I felt her arms around me, her hands caressing me, but the pain was too strong.

"Please… stop it…" I said with an effort. To who? I didn't know. I wasn't coherent anymore.

"Carlisle!" I heard Bella scream. I noticed my father's thoughts, filled with fear and worry.

_Please, Edward. Hold on!_ He repeated. But beneath his thoughts, I heard something else… not a thought, but an intention… a mind that seemed to think only on a purpose: no thoughts, emptiness.

_Stronger!... make him faint… make him wish… _I barely heard. Whish what? It was strange; the alien mind wasn't thinking about it… it was listening, obeying. But the pain rose even more; I couldn't stand it. I fell… I felt Carlisle's arms, and then all was black.

_**Poor Edward!! T-T I feel guilty!! –It'll pass :P- Soo… Bella finally finds out what Jake really meant when he said he wanted to stop her transformation lol. But face it, she'll forgive Edward… she knows he never attacks unless he's forced to do it (so noble!!)**_

_**And a little mystery near the end… again, I think it's obvious, but nah! I like it like that.**_

_**To be honest, I'm not too satisfied with this one… sigh.**_


	9. Confessions

"Confessions"

**BPOV**

I saw it all in slow motion. I cried while I hugged Edward; I felt his body tense with agony, I heard his voice moaning… why? Why he has to suffer like this? Why was life so unfair with such a good man? I heard his soft voice, cracked with pain, begging for help… he seemed to be getting worse.

"Carlisle!" I screamed, frantic. He was with me in a second. Without a word, he tried to take Edward's hand away from his chest. Suddenly, his body trembled, and he went limp. Carlisle managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

"Carlisle! Please tell me what's wrong with him!" I begged with teary eyes. He looked at me with sadness.

"I don't know, Bella" he said. Before I could notice it, all the Cullens were there. Alice put her cold arms around me, while Carlisle lifted Edward and started to walk towards the couch.

"Maybe you should place him on the bed" Esme said. Her voice was trembling.

"I don't want to move him too much. We don't know exactly what's wrong" Carlisle answered. I was surprised to see he was serious, all traces of worry gone. It was the first time I saw him as the coven leader he was.

"Are you sure? Emmett could…" Rosalie said. I saw, for the first time, deep worry on her beautiful face. At her side, Emmett looked even worse. I imagined I had the same aspect.

"Calm down, Bella… Jasper?" Alice said. I noticed then that I was trembling uncontrollably… but soon, I felt the usual wave of peace Jasper sent towards us. Even Esme looked better.

"Alice, let me get up. I want to see him…" I said. She released me, but was at my side when I approached the couch. Carlisle was kneeling there, touching Edward's face and chest to try and find out what was wrong with him. I wished so much to touch him, to caress him… to make the pain go away.

"Can I…?" I asked Carlisle. He smiled at me.

"Of course, Bella" He said. I kneeled next to him, and grabbed Edward's hand… for the first time, the coldness bothered me. It seemed I was touching a corpse… and the thought of that tore at my heart. I stood up, and moved Edward's head to place it on my lap, as I'd done that time with the hunter… I remained there, sitting on the couch, stroking Edward's coppery hair; I cursed that stupid hunter for making him suffer like this. I wished I had Emmett's strength, so I could go and hit Alphonse until he felt the same amount of pain he was causing my Edward. Esme placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Um… Bella? I know this is not exactly a good time, but there's something you should know" Alice said. I was surprised to hear the doubt in her voice; she was always so sure of everything.

"Alice, maybe you should wait…" Esme said, but Alice shook her head.

"She has to know. Bella, what I'm going to tell you its really bad, but please understand that the future can change, and that my visions are not perfect. I had a vision… a vision of our deaths…" Alice started. I remained still while she talked; I heard her describe her vision: the bodies of her family, my death at Edward's hands and then _his_ death at the hands of a stranger… I listened attentively to her doubts about the coven, the timing –two weeks?- and Jasper's advice to wait to know more. When she finished, they all looked at me. Apparently, they expected me to be in shock… maybe I was, but I had to be strong.

"Bella? Please say something!" Alice begged. What did she want me to say? 'Oh, perfect! At least I can marry before dying'?

"What can we do?" I asked. Good, that was a good reaction. Firm. Rational.

"Jasper says we need to know more of them. We don't even know if they're near right now" Alice answered. I heard Emmett growl softly; he didn't like the idea.

"But… can't you see anything more, Alice?" I asked, desperate. There had to be a solution to this. She shook her head again.

"It's always the same" she answered with a shaky voice. Jasper hugged her. My first thought was to cancel the wedding, but another one stopped me: Edward was stubborn. If I stopped it, he would refuse to drink my blood, and he'd be weak when the coven arrives. Besides, he had promised to change me after getting married, so I could be a vampire by then; I could help them… but then, why was I human in Alice's vision?

"You're not thinking about cancelling the wedding, right?" Alice asked. She knew me well.

"Alice, are you crazy? How can you think about a wedding when you just saw that vision?" I asked, angry. Carlisle smiled.

"Well… that's a more coherent reaction. I was worried" he said to me. He sounded just like Edward.

"But how can you expect us to marry with that…?" I asked, but Jasper interrupted.

"You'll need to stay with us so we can protect you. If you don't marry before, it'll be difficult to find an excuse for you to stay here. Besides, it will be better because then they'll search for you here, not with your father" Jasper said, serious. I looked at him with awe; he had thought of everything… he was really an expert. I sighed in defeat.

"But how can I be happy when I know this?" I said, more to myself than to them.

"Just try to relax, Bella. When the date is closer, I'm sure I'll be able to see more" Alice said. Well, now I had two things to worry about: the most important of them was lying on my lap.

"Alice… how much?" Emmett asked her. She smiled.

"He'll be up in a minute" she said.

Surely, soon enough Edward moved and opened his eyes. He looked at me and smiled, but I still could see the pain in his gaze. I tried to smile for him, but I doubted it looked sincere. Carlisle immediately approached again, kneeling.

"Edward? How do you feel?" he asked.

"Better… I guess" he answered. Alice rolled her eyes; it was obvious they had received the same answer before. My poor Edward, always trying not to worry others. He raised his hand to reach my face, caressing it softly.

"Sorry if I scared you… I'm doing this a lot lately, aren't I?" he said. I couldn't contain my tears… I felt so bad for him. I grabbed his hand with mines, and kissed it softly.

"Don't worry… just get better, ok?" I said to him. He then moved to a sitting position, grimacing slightly at the effort. I noticed his breathing was labored again. He was not as fine as he wanted us to believe. He suddenly opened his eyes widely, horrified at something.

"Did you tell her?" he asked Alice. She nodded. He then looked at me again with sadness.

"Sorry. I wanted to tell you, but… I don't want to worry you like this" he said. I wanted to erase that look on his face. I kissed his hand again –I was still grabbing it- and moved closer to kiss his cheek, then his mouth.

"It's fine… I'm fine. I trust you. We'll survive this together, right? All of us" I said, looking at my future family. He smiled and kissed me back.

"Yes. Together" he said.

--

At the forest, a creature walked slowly. The woman looked at everything with an absent gaze; she cared about nothing, thought about nothing, except her master's orders. Soon, she heard a voice on her head.

"Have you finished?" the voice asked.

"Yes" she thought without emotion.

"Good. Come back." the voice said to her. He was calling her, and she kept moving beneath the trees, ready to meet him.

_**Sooo… now Bella knows everything. Poor girl, the world really is plotting against them (well… not the world, just me :P) I**__** know nothing really big happened here, but I guess I wanted to show how strong Bella can be… after all she' been through, she has to be… specially since she's in love with a vampire lol.**_

_**And you kne**__**w I was going to torture Edward! I just hope Bella doesn't try to kill me /hides… no, please!!/ Unn. By the way… a little glimpse at my character nn, confused? I know some of you thought about a man there… don't worry, you're not entirely wrong :P**_

_**As always, hope you like it and thanks for your kind comments!**_


	10. Enemies

"Enemies"

**BPOV**

I couldn't believe time had passed so soon. Now, I was only a day away from my wedding, but even that seemed unimportant compared to my troubles.

The first of them –and the most important- was Edward, of course. His condition was really worsening, and not even Carlisle knew exactly why. He continued to feed daily, hoping it would help, but so far it wasn't doing any good. The 'seizures' –as we both called them- were more and more frequent… I still remembered with horror he had suffered three episodes just yesterday. I wanted him to get better, it made me feel so bad to see him like that; my only relief was that, after the wedding, he'll finally be totally recovered.

My second problem was Alice's vision. Despite her attitude of apparent calm towards it, I felt more anxious each day. She hadn't seen anything new, which only increased my fears.

I sighed, focusing on the road ahead of me. I was driving towards La Push. Since Edward was at home –Carlisle practically ordered him to stay- I had an unusual opportunity to try and talk with Jacob. These two days I had tried to contact him, but Billy always said he was not available… well, if he didn't want to talk, I will have to go to him and use force. I was surprised, though, when I found Seth waiting for me.

"Hi, Bella! How're you?" he greeted me, smiling. I really liked Seth.

"Hi, Seth. I'm fine, thanks. And you?" I asked. He seemed to guess what I really wanted to know.

"We're fine. Jacob's still pissed because of, well, what happened, but he's almost totally healed, just sore. And Edward? Is he ok?" Seth asked.

"Um, yes. More or less" I answered. I didn't want to confess his real condition, fearing Sam –or worse, Alphonse-would take advantage of it, but I felt bad hiding it from Seth, Edward's only werewolf friend.

"Jacob sent me. I was about to go search for you. He wants to talk" Seth said, as if trying to change the subject. Apparently, he knew something was wrong. I nodded, and he guided me to Jake's home.

Once I entered, I felt relieved: Jacob was there –alone- sitting on a chair. He seemed to be fine, except for the bandages he still wore on his arms. He looked at me with a mixture of joy and sadness. I wondered if, after all, he felt guilty.

"Hi, Jake… how are you doing?" I asked, fearful. I noticed with shock that I felt anger too. He smiled sarcastically.

"Well, my honor is tarnished… I was beaten by a bloodsucker that wasn't even in his best shape; Sam's angry at me, and oh yeah! My former best friend is about to be turned into a monster… besides that, I'm fine" he said bitterly. I felt sad for him; he couldn't know the pain his words were causing me.

"Sorry, Jake. This is my entire fault" I said. I laughed mentally when I noticed I sounded like Edward –again-. Jacob sighed, signaling the chair near him. I sat there, waiting.

"Listen, Bella… I wish I could say I'm sorry, but you probably know I'm not" he said. I looked at him, angry.

"Well, that's a relief, Jake" I said.

"I'm just being honest! Besides, this is not the reason I wanted to talk to you" he said. Now he had my interest.

"Listen, Jacob. I was worried about you, that's why I came. I forgive you because I know you were thinking on me… but I'm really pissed too. You know how much he means to me, how could you try to hurt him?! If something happens to him I…" I stopped, and saw the sadness on his face. Despite that, the mere idea of loosing Edward was too painful to even say it out loud. "You have to understand this is what I want. It's my choice here" I said –trying to control my temper- before he could continue.

"So… what about him? Are you trying to tell me he's not doing it to cure himself?" Jacob asked, mockingly. It was obvious he didn't believe that. I got angry.

"He's not! Edward would never do something like that! Do you know he's fighting as hard as you to keep me human? But at least he accepts my choice!" I said. I felt sorry when I saw the sadness on Jake's face.

"He always makes you suffer! How can you love him after all he'd caused?" Jacob said, hurt.

"He protects me! He loves me no matter what! Besides, he's not the only one who hurts me, Jacob Black! I've been trying to call you all week! How do you think I felt when you didn't answer?" I said. Now he seemed regretful.

"Sorry… it's just that… it's for your own good! I thought you'll be mad at me. Besides, you can't expect me to like your _friends_… its better this way" He said.

"That's nonsense! If Seth can be friends with them, why can't you?" I asked him. There was nothing I wished more than that.

"Seth's too innocent… besides, Sam has changed his mind. He said…" he stopped abruptly. I was worried now; there was only one thing Sam could change his opinion about.

"So? Spill it out, Jake" I said. He seemed reluctant to say it… this was bad.

"Sam has given new orders regarding the bloods- _them_" he said. Why it was so difficult for him to see them as equals? "He heard the reasons behind my… 'argument' with your bloodsucker. He considers the treaty is broken if he bites you. He has declared that if he does, we can kill them all" Jacob said. I realized with anger that he had planed this; he wanted me to stop my choice to prevent a war. Worst of all, it was working. But I couldn't stop now, not after seeing Edward's suffering.

"But I want this! That doesn't matter?" I almost screamed at him. He shook his head.

"No. Deal's a deal. They're not allowed to do it, no matter your choices in it" he said. "So… considering the facts, I shouldn't see you again. You and I are now officially enemies" he said, sad. That hurt more than anything. But if that was the case, why was Seth so… friendly?

"I'm sorry you think like this. Maybe someday you'll be able to see far beyond your prejudices" I said. I felt the tears on my eyes, but I tried to contain them. Without looking at him again, I started to walk towards my car. He didn't stop me.

**EPOV**

The first thing I felt was Esme's arms around me.

I hated this. This was the fourth seizure of the day… and it wasn't even afternoon. Each one was worse than the previous. I lost track of time, of my mind, of who I was. There was only pain, and the basic instincts that pushed me to fight, but fight what? Or who? All I could do was to wait until darkness released me from the usual agony.

But I had found something, something useful. More than once, I had seen the strange figure nearby before the seizures started; even more, I had heard it… not the thoughts –there wasn't any- but glimpses of an order, one that involved me. It was not enough to help me, but it was a proof we needed: my condition was somehow related to the strange coven Alice had seen. But this only generated more doubts: if a vampire was near, why hadn't she seen it? My mother's voice interrupted my trail of thought.

"Are you feeling better, Edward?" Esme asked with a soft, tender voice. I realized then that we were in my room, and that she was caressing my back with her hands. It felt good. I raised my head from her shoulder, a little reluctant to see her face; the pain was there, pain for my pain. _My poor Edward… if I could just help you feel better. _She thought.

"Don't worry, mom. I feel better now" I said, but didn't move away from her. It felt good to be on my mother's arms.

_Want me to call Carlisle? Are you hungry? _She asked me. I shook my head, laughing softly. She had sounded like any human mother.

"No…" I said. My voice was still shaking.

"Do you want to lie down on the bed?" she offered. I said no again.

"No… I'm fine" I said. I noticed she was staring at me, focusing on my face… she was trying to conceal her thoughts. I, however, managed to hear a word, one that had been on my head since this painful routine started… _death. _Was I dying? Was this vampire killing me slowly? I didn't want to die… I had to find a way. A way to stay with my family, with my Bella, forever.

--

In a small cottage near the forest of Forks, a strange group was resting. A man with long black hair watched the horizon with interest, until he saw a figure approaching. He smiled. The figure, a woman with short blond hair, stopped in front of him, her eyes empty and lifeless. He smiled even more.

"Done" she said without emotion.

"Fine… we'll start soon" he said. He knew perfectly well he'll have to wait before deciding, or else _she_ would see it. He returned to the cottage, ignoring the group standing there, their skin glittering as his own below the sun.

_**Well, another chapter ready! Hope you're liking where this is going. Finally, we have a glimpse of our MAIN villain!… you'll find out more later!**_

_**And I don't really know if Sam knew (at the end of eclipse) that Bella's going to be changed… for my fic purposes, he didn't know until he heard it from Jacob. So now he's about to start a war lol. And, since some of you asked, Alphonse is still in La Push, but you know him… he's not the friendly, sociable one… he'll appear later ;)**_

_**And I wish I was Esme (and not only because she's hugging Edward…/looks at Carlisle/ lol) Just couldn't resist the chance of a motherly scene with her (awww!)**_


	11. Wedding

"The wedding"

**BPOV**

Finally, here I was. Just minutes away from my wedding.

I remained still while Alice finished with my hair. My mom was with me too, checking my dress and making sure all was fine. I still couldn't believe she had received the news so well. I was nervous, but I realized –with awe- that I was happy too… my hands trembled, but I couldn't avoid feeling joyful: I was marrying the man of my dreams, and I was going to be with him forever. I was dying to see Edward; surely, he'll look really gorgeous on his suit.

"You're ready!" Alice announced, and moved a mirror towards me. I looked at it with shock: the girl on the mirror was simply beautiful. I could see my mom was trying to contain her tears.

"You look beautiful, Bella" René said. I was still too shocked to answer. Suddenly, Rosalie entered.

"We're ready… whenever you want" she said, and leaved again. I stood up, ready to face my personal predicament.

My father took my arm and escorted me to the altar. Alice had arranged everything so we could make the ceremony outside her house. At first, I had been a little reluctant; after all, there were a bunch of hostile vampires out there waiting to attack, but now I saw it, I had to admit it was pretty. She had decorated every single space with flowers; even the white chairs had some. I could feel the soft breeze moving my wedding dress while I walked slowly towards the altar, where the most perfect image waited for me, only for me.

Edward was standing there, wearing a black suit that made his beauty even more obvious –I saw from the corner of my eye Jessica's open mouth-. He was smiling in a way I've never seen before, and my heart beat faster at the mere sight of it. He looked like a god, and it seemed even more incredible to me that he was waiting _for me_ there, ready to join his life to mine forever. I was shocked by my own thoughts… since when the wedding started to look this good to me?

The moment Charlie kissed my cheek and placed my hand over Edward's, I forgot everything: my worries about his health, the fear for Alice's vision, the fact we probably had only one week left; all I could see was him: his perfect face, his golden eyes full of love and happiness, his smile… the soft touch of his hand made me shiver in pleasure.

I barely heard the words said by the minister… before I noticed, he was asking me if I accepted. Edward looked at me, and I could see some apprehension there. How could he doubt? Or maybe he was worried about the problems ahead.

"Yes… yes, I do" I said with shaky voice. I felt the tears come out… I felt ashamed; it surely looked like a soap opera. Edward smiled to me, ignoring the minister's words too.

"I do" he answered immediately with his beautiful velvet voice. The moment he said it, I felt my heart beat even faster… this was real, this perfect man was _mine_, for all eternity… I couldn't believe I was so lucky. We kissed when the ceremony ended; I wanted to kiss him fiercely, but he simply touched my lips softly… he laughed when I grimaced in anger.

"Not here, love" he said. Of course, he couldn't risk a real kiss in front of all this human audience. I smiled back at him; after all, it hadn't been so hard, and I was happy to be now his _wife_.

My mom approached to hug me tightly.

"I'm so happy for you, Bella!" she said, crying.

"Thank you, mom" I said, trying to contain my own tears. I gasped when she hugged Edward too… even he seemed surprised.

"Promise to take care of her, right?" she said. Edward smiled to her.

"Of course. Don't worry Ms. Dwyer" Edward answered, politely. Then my dad approached to hug me.

"I'm gonna miss you, Bells. Promise to visit soon, ok?" Charlie said. This time I couldn't hide my tears; would I be able to see him again? To visit him as he asked? He raised his hand to wash away my tears, smiling at me. He then hugged Edward too.

"I really wish you a happy life" he said to him. Edward smiled even more. Soon, his brothers were surrounding him, congratulating him.

"So… now you're a married man, bro!" Emmett said. Edward laughed at the tone of his voice. Jasper laughed too, looking at Emmett with amusement. Meanwhile, Alice and Esme were with me.

"Welcome to the family, Bella" Esme said to me. She couldn't have picked better words.

It seemed like an eternity of congratulations. All my friends approached to hug me and wish me good luck… I remembered I wished Jacob was here, but I stopped my thought: he'll feel terrible, and now he wasn't allowed to even talk to me. I felt a little sad, but I tried to forget that for now. Suddenly, I felt a cold hand in mine.

"Do you want to dance, Ms. Cullen?" Edward murmured softly into my ear. I shivered again.

"I like how that sounds" I answered him. Soon, we were dancing; well, actually, _he_ was dancing and I was just following his lead. I placed my head on his chest, enjoying the moment.

"It was not as bad as you thought, right?" He asked me, laughing softly.

"I have to admit that's true…" I answered honestly. He looked at me with such intensity and love I almost fainted there.

"Thank you" he said. He was thanking me?

"I should be the one doing that… you always save me, and love me despite all my mistakes" I said to him. After all, it was I who was lucky. He laughed again… I loved to see him this happy.

"You've saved me too, more than you can imagine… and you love me more than I deserve; my mistakes are far worse than yours" he answered. I kissed his cheek. "Are you ok?" he asked. I was so distracted it took me a minute to understand what he meant.

"Yeah… I just wish he could be here" I said, looking towards Seth, who had defied Sam's orders to come here. If only Jacob was that open minded…

"I'm sorry. I wish I could do something" he said to me. He was so selfless.

"You can kiss me" I asked. He immediately pressed his lips against mine, this time with more passion. I gasped when he stopped.

"Forget all troubles… let's just have fun" I said, teasing him. He understood and chuckled.

The day passed surprisingly fast for me. In a second, we were cutting the cake. I tasted it softly while watching Edward's face… he winked at me and tasted it too. I saw as Emmett and Jasper made a grimace at that, and laughed. Then, we were starting to say good bye to our guests… traditionally, we were supposed to leave early to our honeymoon, but considering the potential danger, we all had decided to stay together. We told everyone that the flight was for tomorrow and we'll stay here until then. Of course, no one had reasons to suspect anything… no one except Seth.

Now that I thought about it, where was he? I hadn't seen him for hours… I wondered if something was wrong. But my parents were saying good bye to me, so I couldn't focus on that.

"Promise to call me as soon as you arrive, ok?" René asked. I nodded; I could do that.

"If you need anything, if something happens, just call" Charlie said. I realized what he was implying, and looked at him annoyed.

"Dad! I thought you had understood Edward is a good man!" Well, a good _vampire_, but he didn't need to know that. He simply shrugged.

"Just in case" he said. The moment they left, I searched for Edward –my _husband_… I shuddered-. He was talking with Alice and Jasper. I panicked; was something happening? Before I could join them, Esme and Carlisle stopped me.

"Bella? Why don't you go to change your clothes?" Carlisle suggested. I raised an eyebrow, asking him. He shook his head.

"Come, dear. I'll help you" Esme said.

I was there again in a second. Edward continued with Alice and Jasper, but this time Emmett and Rosalie had joined them, along with Carlisle. I realized all the guests were gone… there was definitively something wrong here. I approached, grabbing Edward's hand.

"What's wrong? You saw anything, Alice?" I asked her. She nodded.

"More or less" she said. What does that mean? As if reading my thoughts, she continued.

"I saw the coven again… they seemed to be running. But suddenly all disappeared. My guess is that your werewolf friends are involved" she said plainly. I felt scared… what if they attacked too? What if Jacob got hurt or worse…? Edward squeezed my hand gently, trying to reassure me.

"We're going to…" he started, but stopped. They all tensed. I heard a sound near us… when I turned to my right, I saw the pack was there, with Sam at the front. Jacob was beside him, I could easily recognize his brown fur… and I saw Alphonse's huge black figure, closer to Sam and growling at my family. I pressed myself closer to Edward, hoping my presence would stop them. But I realized Edward wasn't looking at them, but at the front.

"Hello, Cullen coven" a soft voice said.

_**YAY! An encounter!! Now I gathered together two mayor problems!! My evilness is definitively **__**increasing… another cliffie!! I'm cruel, I know, but I had to do it!! And I ruined their wedding! (sort of) lol.**_

_**Sorry about the wedding… I'm not very enthusiastic about them, so I can't give a very good description (besides, I can't compare to StephenieM…). Guess I leave it to your own imagination… I'm sure you have better ideas about it than I do.**_

_**Now to write next chapter!! (god! 11 chapters and I'm just starting the whole issue… this is going to be loooooong O.O –hope you don't mind-)**_


	12. Kidnapping

"Kidnapping"

**EPOV**

I growled at the groups surrounding us. As if the world was plotting against me, now I had _two_ groups of enemies here. The wolves, however, seemed a little confused and reluctant. Carlisle approached the strange vampire, cautious.

"Good afternoon" he said, serious. The other vampire smiled. I tried to read the reason behind that gesture… and I heard nothing. I panicked when I realized I couldn't read his thoughts. He, however, seemed to guess mines.

"Sorry, Edward. My mind is very… private" he said. I growled. Behind me, Bella moved closer to me. The vampire then looked at the pack.

"And you? You shouldn't be here. You could get hurt" he said, laughing mockingly. Sam growled.

_Shut up, leech. This is our territory… you're not allowed to be here. _Sam thought. I reluctantly repeated his words. The vampire laughed.

"You can't order me, dog. Besides, I have no interest in you… my business is with the Cullen coven" he said.

"Who are you?" Carlisle asked. _He seems aggressive… you better prepare to fight _he thought. I agreed with him but, what about Bella?

"My name is Azael. I came here to offer you a deal" he said. I tried –again- to read his mind, but I couldn't. The rest of my family looked at me, waiting, but I shook my head; I couldn't help them this time.

"What kind of deal?" Emmett asked. The vampire looked at him with disgust. My brother growled, insulted.

"I'm not talking to you… my offer is only for two" Azael said, looking at Alice, then at me. "You'll see… Aro sent me here to give you one last chance. Join me, or face the consequences" Azael said.

_Consequences? What are you talking about? _Sam asked. Azael smiled.

"They promised to change this girl… and they have failed. Now, according to our agreement, we will destroy them" Azael said.

_Forget it. We are here to prevent Bella's transformation. They are not allowed to do it. _Sam answered.

"As I said, I came to make you an offer… take it or leave it. But something is sure: either this girl is transformed, or she dies here" Azael said. I was getting frustrated; if only I could know what he had in mind.

"I rejected it once… what makes you think I changed my mind?" I said to him. Of course, it was just to distract him and buy me some time. There had to be a way out of this. My family's thoughts were tense, afraid… I HAD to find a way.

"Well… if you're not willing to cooperate…" Azael said, and gave a step towards us. Sam growled.

_They're ours. If you touch the human, you'll regret it! _Sam growled, and moved towards us, too. This was getting dangerous; if they both attacked us, I doubted we could survive. But Azael laughed soundly at Sam's warning.

"You can't stop me, insolent dog!" Azael said.

_Try me. _Sam answered, and adopted a fighting stance. Azael laughed again. I didn't like that; he seemed too confident… it was obvious he had some secret advantage here. I felt Bella was trembling behind me. I hated to put her in so much danger.

"Don't forget we can fight you too" Jasper said and crouched, ready to attack. Emmett quickly followed him. I did the same, though I was still thinking for a way out of this… I was not going to risk Bella's life.

"Edward" she murmured behind me. I took her hand.

"It's all going to be fine, love" I said, trying to reassure her despite my own fears. Azael noticed it.

"How lovely… but I'm afraid you've chosen, Edward" Azael said.

_STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU LEECH! _Jacob interrupted. I gladly repeated his words. Azael looked at us.

"Last chance…" he said. Carlisle sighed when he saw Alice shook her head.

_Edward… we'll have to fight. Prepare. _My father's voice was full of regret; he didn't like to fight. When Azael noticed we hadn't changed our mind, he looked at the girl beside him.

"Caitlin" he said to her. She approached, and fixed her empty eyes upon us. As soon as that happened, I felt a wave of pain erupt from my chest. I screamed and fell on my knees… I barely heard Bella's gasp, and Alice's scream… this time the agony was worse, but I made an effort to stay conscious… I heard Carlisle was growling, but I couldn't do anything but wait…

**BPOV**

Edward fell again, screaming in pain. I kneeled closer to him, trying in vain to help him. Carlisle growled in anger in front of me, a sound I had never heard before. I was more shocked, though, when I heard Jasper's moan of pain… he was on the ground too, clutching his arms as if he wanted to rip them off. Alice was beside him, trying frantically to help him, but having the same results I had with Edward. I saw as the vampire, Azael, advanced towards me at the same time Jacob moved. I heard him growl in anger, and I felt Edward's body tense.

Esme approached us quickly. She simply looked at Edward with worry, but I realized she was talking with him. He raised his head with an effort to look at her.

"I… I can't read…" he said, but winced in pain. I was shocked: he couldn't read Azael's mind? I was distracted when I heard Carlisle's voice.

"Stop!" he said, and charged towards the woman, Caitlin. I had never seen him attack. The moment he charged, Emmett moved towards Azael, but the vampire evaded him and ran towards me. I closed my eyes, and just heard the wolves' growls of fury and their steps towards the grass. The next thing I felt were Edward's strong arms around me. I opened my eyes exactly to see as he lifted me from the ground, while Azael was about to grab me. I saw Jacob's wolfy face only inches away from the vampire. Azael moved to evade his teeth, and Edward started to run.

"Edward! The others! You can't leave them!" I yelled frantically as he ran. I could hear the battle near us… the growls and screams as my family and the werewolves fought against Azael's group.

Edward kept moving. I could see he was not running as fast as he normally did, and his breathing was labored.

"They… escaped too…" he said, but stopped abruptly. When I looked over his shoulder, I saw the vampire woman was following us.

"Edward!" I said, realizing she was still hurting him, and he was running despite his pain. I felt so powerless; I wanted to help him, to save him, but I didn't have the strength for that. Suddenly, another vampire came out of the trees; he charged towards us, but Edward evaded him… I think I saw a glimpse of Emmett and Rosalie, fighting their way out of there. I wondered if Jasper was fine, more confused than ever. Why had he felt the pain too? Why hadn't the rest of us felt it?

Edward evaded another attack. I was afraid: how many vampires were here?

"Edward! Change me! Please! It's the only way to stop them!" I screamed.

"No! if I do that, the werewolves would attack! There's no point in it!" he said. I had to admit he was right. Sam would attack them if he changed me now… how could we escape a fight? Suddenly, a giant wolf came out, running at Edward's level. Jacob. He attacked a vampire near us, and looked at Edward.

"Fine… we'll meet…" Edward started, but stopped again grimacing in pain. This time, though, Caitlin was closer… Edward lost his balance. I saw as she attacked Jacob, pushing him towards the ground while looking at us. I felt a wave of pain on my arm… and we both fell on the ground. Edward was moaning loudly, but refused to let me go. He placed himself over me, protecting me with his body.

"Edward! Edward!" I kept repeating. He refused to move. I saw as Caitlin fought against Jacob, and I heard him whimper when she used her 'gift' on him. Was she like Jane? Suddenly, I saw a pair of white hands grab Edward's neck. Impulsively, he moved to defend himself… Caitlin then forgot Jake and grabbed me. Edward still had his hand around mine; he tried to pull me to him, but suddenly gasped in pain again. His grip loosened, and Caitlin carried me away.

I heard two growls of agony… the last thing I saw was Edward's horrified gaze.

_**And my evilness keeps rising!! Lol. Another cliffie! I'm so cruel (forgive meeeee!!). Finally, we get to know our villain nn. And poor Edward!!**__** Now they have to rescue Bella!... yeesh! I'm really bad to him (I luv u Edward!! Don't kill meee!!)**_

_**Oh! About my evil vampire's name (Azael) I really don't have a reason for it… it was the first one that came to my mind (just like Alphonse :P) and it sounds kinda cool on him (just my opinion)…it means:**_ "_**whom god has made" or "god strengthens"(weird name for an evil vampire lol)**_

_**Hope you like this (and hope you don't have a heart attack by now :P)**_

_**Now to next chapter!**_


	13. Alliances

"Alliances"

**EPOV**

She was gone. I had failed to protect her.

The moment the vampire caught Bella, I tried to run after her, but her gift kept me on the ground instead… I could hear Jacob was having the same problem. Now, she was gone, and I had to deal with the guilt and fear of loosing my only true love. My family had arrived here, along with the rest of the pack, but I wasn't listening to them… I was broken, I was dead; more than I've been in over a hundred years. I heard Carlisle's questions, but I didn't answer them; I heard Esme's kind words, but they didn't reach my heart. Suddenly, though, Jacob's arms grabbing my shoulders brought me back to reality.

"What the hell did you do? Why did you release her?! You stupid LEECH!" Jacob said, while pushing me fiercely towards a tree. I didn't even feel the impact, but I heard it crack. _How could I allow…? You're so stupid! I knew I couldn't trust you! _Jacob's thoughts were even worse than his words. _After all, you didn't love her that much, right? _That thought awoke me. I felt anger inside me… how he dared to question my love for Bella? I grabbed his neck, fighting to suppress the wish to crush it.

"Shut up, mongrel! Don't you dare to say that!! I LOVE HER! If I had pulled harder, I would have broken her arm!! Is that what you want?!" I yelled at him. I saw he was shocked: he had never seen me loose my temper.

"Please, stop. This isn't going to help Bella" my father said, calm as always. _Calm down, Edward… it was not your fault. _As always, Carlisle knew exactly what I was thinking. I released Jacob, and he stepped back a little. Good.

"We still have a chance. He took her… if he wanted to kill her, he'll have done it here" Jasper said. _We can find them. _He was trying to reassure me, but his voice was unusually shaken. I remembered he had been affected by Caitlin too… this was weird.

"Are you ok, Jasper?" Esme asked. I noticed he was as unsteady as I was. He nodded slightly.

_Please don't say it… I understand you now.__ This feels horrible. _Jasper said to me. Of course, now he knew why I preferred to fake I was alright.

"Enough chat! Let's go after them!" Emmett said.

"It's not that easy, Emmett" Rosalie said to him. _We're not alone. _She thought. I knew what she meant: the werewolves were with us. Sam approached, placing himself next to Jacob.

"We can't move farther, I'm sure they'll want revenge against us. We have to protect La Push." He said. _Ok, Jacob… you can start now… _Sam's thoughts were funny. He already knew where Jacob's thoughts were heading.

"_WHAT?! ARE YOU PLANNING TO LET HER DIE??YOU STUPID…! _Jacob's thoughts were so noisy I had to block them. But instead of saying that out loud, he looked at Sam with anger.

"But…" he started. I was surprised; he was controlling his temper. Sam raised a hand to stop him.

"We understand" Carlisle said. _Though their help would have been useful. _He thought.

"I haven't finished. We can't let Bella Sawn die, either. She was a friend of us, and her father and Billy are good friends… I can send Jacob and Seth with you. If you need help, they'll call us" Sam said. Weird; I had expected… _But if you hurt them… _Yes, there it was the natural aversion towards us. I noticed he had said Bella WAS a friend… past tense. I felt bad for her; I was the reason for that.

"I agree… I can't let them get all the glory" Jacob said immediately. _Someone has to do things right. _He said, smiling at me. How I hated his comments.

"I'm with them, too" Seth said. _Glad to help. _I liked Seth; he was always so kind hearted. My family remained silent, waiting for Carlisle's answer.

"Alright. We'll be glad to have your help" he said. Alice made a gesture behind him. _But that way I won't see a thing. _She thought.

"But don't forget we're just helping for Bella's sake. If you insist on turning her, we'll attack you" Sam said. We were aware of that, but I didn't care as long as they helped her. Carlisle nodded.

"Yes, we know" he said. _It's a shame, though… _I agreed with him. They weren't bad people, after all. Sam nodded, and the rest of the pack leaved.

"Sooo… we're working together _again_. I didn't know I had such bad luck" Jacob said, sighing. I was cursing my luck too… he was not the only one uncomfortable here. I simply glared at him.

"Alright, Jasper. What do we do now?" Carlisle asked. Emmett looked at him, obviously expecting a fight. Suddenly, Alice gasped… and I panicked.

"Alice? What did you see?" I asked, grabbing her shoulders. _If you kill her, we'll never know. _Emmett thought. I released her, realizing I was using more strength than necessary. Jasper growled at me.

"Sorry" I said.

"She's alive. I can see her inside a house… a cottage, I think. They seem to be in the forest" Alice said. I saw the image on her head and sighed in relief. Bella was there, apparently unharmed.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Emmett said.

"Finally, we agree at something" Jacob said. Seth smiled eagerly at his side. They phased again, and the wolves looked at us, waiting. I looked at Jasper.

"We can easily track the scent but… that's what worries me. It's too obvious, don't you think?" he said. He was right again, but I was determined to follow it even if it was a trap.

"Maybe you're overdoing it, Jasper" Rosalie said. Emmett nodded in agreement, but Alice looked at her raising one eyebrow. _Impulsive. _She thought.

"We have no choice. We can't let Bella there" Esme said. I nodded in agreement. Jasper sighed.

_I don't like this. _He thought.

"I don't like it either, but it's the only choice" I said. We had to go.

_Are you sure you're fine enough to go? _Carlisle asked me. Esme had the same question on her head… actually, I was still sore, but that wouldn't stop me. I was going, no matter what.

"I'm fine. Let's go" I said, determined. Carlisle sighed. _Alright, son. I understand. _He thought.

_Liar. _Alice thought, but she was really looking at Jasper. She was worried about him… and should be, considering my suspects about Caitlin's power.

_Are we going or what? _Jacob, impatient as always, was ready to move. I nodded once, and we were on our way.

**BPOV**

I was trembling with fear. The last thing I'd seen of my new family was Edward's eyes full of pain and terror. Was he alive? Was my family fine? Was Jacob fine? I wanted to know, but I had no way to get information. I remained still, sitting on the floor.

I was inside a small cottage. It was empty, except for a chair and a table… I wondered if someone had lived here, and what had happened to him or her. I shuddered when I thought about it, realizing the vampire could have easily killed the previous owner. I braced myself; was I going to die here, alone, away from Edward? No, I refused to believe that… I had to escape.

Suddenly, the vampire named Azael entered. Now I had the chance to really look at him: he was tall, but slender, and had long black hair that fell almost to his knees. As any vampire, he had white marble skin and moved with unusual grace… he was beautiful too, _but not as beautiful as Edward_. I smiled disdainfully at him when I thought that, and he looked at me with his arrogant red eyes.

"Well, you're certainly brave if you can put such a face here" he said, amused. I got angry.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying to sound firm. He smiled.

"I want your husband and his sister" Azael said. I couldn't answer that. The Volturi had always wanted them because of their gifts… but something on his voice made me doubt it was only that.

"Why are you doing this? Aro respects Carlisle, I'm sure he'll want you…" I started, but he interrupted me.

"I don't care about Aro" he said. I was shocked… hadn't he mentioned he was following his orders? I absently rubbed my arm; it was still sore, but I didn't remember getting hurt.

"I see you've experienced Caitlin's ability" Azael said. I was interested now; I had thought she was like Jane, but if that was the case, why had I felt it? As far as I knew I was immune to it. He seemed to notice my doubts, for he laughed soundly.

"Wondering why you're affected? Aro told me of your… unusual ability to block mental attacks. But Caitlin is different… she's not making you think you're in pain, she's inflicting real pain in your body. She can control any physical pain." Azael said. Now I understood… was Caitlin the reason for Edward's seizures? I shuddered at that, for it meant she had been spying on us all this time. Why hadn't Alice seen her? Why hadn't Edward heard her? Azael then kneeled, grabbing my chin with his icy fingers, forcing me to look at him.

"Now… if you're a smart girl, you'll stay here. Or I'll be forced to bring Caitlin" he said to me. I tried to remain unaffected by his words, but the fact is I was terrified.

"Good. See you later, Bella Cullen" Azael said, and leaved.

I remained there, thinking. Caitlin was certainly powerful… but if her power was physical, why had it affected only Jasper and Edward? What had they in common that made them vulnerable? I didn't think about myself; I had realized I hadn't been affected before because Edward was in front of me, and she couldn't fix her eyes on me… my poor vampire received Caitlin's attack directly, protecting me. I wondered what kind of vampire was Azael to control someone as powerful as her.

I heard many vampires outside… I wondered how many were there. A part of me wished for my family to escape and leave me here, so that they could survive, but another part screamed for them to help me… to be honest, there was only one name my mind kept repeating, like a mantra to protect me from the fear and angst.

"Edward… Edward…"

_**And the wolves and vamps are working together again… poor guys :P at first, I wanted to include only Jacob, but I added Seth for balance, to contrast him with Jake's bad attitude. (Edward needs a werewolf that doesn't hate him, right?)**_

_**And we get to see more of my evil vampire… who has some mystery there :P. And yes, Caitlin works like Jasper (physically) so Bella can be affected… if she looks at her, but there's more to it, and I guess you already guessed that, right? –I'm too obvious-.**_

_**Hope you like it! And next chapter we'll have some issues! (imagine Jacob + Edward working together disaster!!)**_

_**See you soon!**_

_**PS: Forgive the typos!!-after all, remember I'm not a native speaker and my computer hates me :P-… it's the price for daily updates lol (of course, if there's someone who wish to help with that- and keep up with my hyper updates-… just PM me ;) )**_


	14. Defiance

"Defiance"

**EPOV**

We were closer, I could feel it. The scent was stronger, but none of us had seen or heard anything. I sighed; we were probably far away from our home… my thoughts moved towards Bella. I wondered each second if she was alright, if she was alive. I couldn't shake the guilt about all this; I had promised her family that I'd take care of her, and now she was gone, trapped by some twisted vampire. My heart ached at the thought of her, my entire body screamed at me the desire to touch her, to caress her. I got desperate thinking that each passing minute she was closer to death. I could hear at my side Seth's thoughts were similarly worried, and Jacob… the poor dog had been as frantic as I was. He kept thinking of Bella's smiling face –which made me even more anxious, since I could see it too- her warm, beautiful chocolate eyes, her beautiful… wait a second… what was that mongrel THINKING?! If I were human, I would have blushed.

"Can you stop having those thoughts about my WIFE?!" I yelled at him. He made a strange sound; a wolfy laugh?

_It's not my fault if you__ don't like what you see...it's MY mind after all, you shouldn't search in there._ Jacob answered. I growled.

"Well, your thoughts are so loud I don't even HAVE to search them. They come alone!" I said, irritated. "Besides, think about Seth. You're corrupting a minor's mind" I added. Actually, I wanted to help poor Seth; Jacob's thoughts were really uncomfortable to him.

_He's right, Jake… __really, I'm starting to get dizzy… _Seth said.

_Hey! I can't control it, right? Yesh! You should focus on the road ahead. _Jacob said to me. Alright, now _I_ needed to focus?

"You should listen to your own advice, dog. You're the one with a distracted mind" I said bitterly.

_Can you two stop it already? We should be searching for Bella, not trying to kill each other. _Seth said. He was right, and both knew it; Jacob growled outraged, while I merely smiled at Seth and continued running. Emmett and Rosalie approached from the right.

"Wow! You haven't killed each other? I'm impressed" he said. Jacob and I looked at him with annoyance… because he was right too. At his side, Rosalie looked at me.

_I must admit, I thought you'll be on his neck by now. _"Carlisle and the others are close. It seems the scents are starting to converge here" she said. I tried to calm down… I was in no mood for arguing. Soon enough, the rest of my family appeared from beneath the trees; they came from different directions, each one following a different scent. Rosalie was right, they were gathering.

_How are you? _Esme asked. Carlisle and the others looked at me, obviously waiting my answer to an obvious question.

"I'm better" I said. Jacob looked at me, annoyed.

_I hate that. _He thought. Of course, he'd want to know anything.

"I didn't know you were so curious. That was personal." I said. He growled again.

Suddenly, I felt the natural pain in my chest… I almost stopped running, but the thought of Bella kept me standing. This pain meant we were closer, I was closer to her. The pain rose even more… I staggered and leaned on a tree for support, breathing heavily. I noticed the rest of us had stopped too. I cursed mentally; I didn't want to slower them… Bella was more important than I was. I closed my eyes in pain.

_What? You're having a heart attack? _Jacob asked mockingly. I growled at him.

"Shut up… you don't know…" I said, angry. I opened my eyes again when I felt Esme's hands on my face. _Edward… _she thought with such a sad tone I felt sorry for making her suffer.

"They're… closer…" I managed to say. Carlisle was at my side too.

_You'll need to rest, maybe even feed… you can't go on like this. _"We'll continue…" he started, but I interrupted him.

"NO! I'm close; I'm not going back now!" I said fiercely.

_Fool… _Alice thought, but I could see she was distracted with Jasper. He'd been affected too –again-.

"But Edward…" Emmett said.

"I said no! I've made my mind… what would you do if it was Rosalie?" I said to him. He smiled. _You got me there… _he admitted.

_Edward? Maybe I could help you… _Seth said. Jacob growled before he could say more.

_You're willing to let him use you as a mule?_ He said. Now I understood; Seth wanted me to ride on his back… but Jacob shouldn't be worried. I didn't want that either… I had my pride, after all.

"Don't worry, Seth. I'm fine… thank you, anyways" I said, trying to sound polite. I stood up with an effort, ignoring the agony.

"Let's go" I said. Carlisle sighed, but made a sign for the rest to follow. We were close… I would see Bella again.

**BPOV**

I didn't understand this. Azael suddenly entered and dragged me outside; I was shocked to see the number of vampires there, it was easily a small army. For a moment, I thought about escaping, but Caitlin was there… if she could make Edward faint, I wouldn't be able to even move once she attacked. Azael looked at me, excited. But why?

"Your husband is near… now, Caitlin" he ordered her. She focused on a point in the forest. I felt tears in my eyes; she was torturing Edward again. I wanted nothing more than to stop her, but I couldn't. Azael laughed at something… could he see Edward?

"Harder, Caitlin… I want him to change his mind" he ordered. I waited to hear the painfully familiar sound of Edward's screams, but I heard nothing. Azael's smile widened.

"Mmmm… he's a fighter. I like that. It seems he's stronger than we thought, isn't it?" he said, looking at Caitlin. She simply looked at him with empty eyes. That was weird; I had expected a response from her.

"Stop it! Don't hurt him!" I screamed at him, unable to contain my thoughts. He looked at me.

"You're a fighter too, it seems. But I can't stop, he's proving to be too valuable" he said mysteriously. Too valuable? What did that mean? Soon, I heard a familiar growl of fury. When I looked at the front, I saw Jacob's huge figure emerging, along with Seth. What were they doing here? My new family appeared then, I was so happy to see them… but my thoughts stopped when I saw him: my Edward appeared too, looking at me with a mixture of relief and anger. As always, my mind hadn't made him justice… his beautiful face was really there, looking at me. My tears finally fell.

"Edward!" I screamed with all my strength. I wished to run and launch myself into his strong, protective arms, but Azael was holding me. Edward smiled at me, but looked at Azael with pure rage.

"Release her! NOW!" he growled at him. Azael smiled, unaffected. I heard Jacob and Seth growl. Carlisle approached.

"Please, we don't want to fight. Just return her… I can assure you we'll keep our promise. Aro can trust me" he said, but I doubted Azael would obey. He had made clear he was not entirely loyal to Aro. I heard Jacob growl again; the implications in Carlisle's words were obviously disgusting to him… If only he understood that's what I wanted.

"Sorry, I have my motives" Azael said. Alice approached.

"We'll never be the Volturi's tools" she said. Caitlin looked at Jasper, and he moaned in pain. Alice looked at her with a rage I've never seen. "Don't touch my Jasper, you witch!" she yelled, and moved closer to us.

"Release Bella now or you'll regret it!" Emmett said.

"No… YOU will regret this" Azael answered. I felt afraid, was I going to see the death of my family? Was this Alice's vision? Suddenly, Azael moved me behind him, and I fell on the ground near the cottage. The vampire crouched, and his army followed him.

"If you want her, come and take her" Azael said. Edward crouched too. I wondered if Caitlin was still hurting him.

"I will" Edward said, and he and his family charged towards Azael.

_**I'm certainly killing you, right? With all this cliffies :P sorry, but I can't tell everything on a single chapter, I'm too evil!! XD**_

_**I laughed when I wrote the first part of this one… Jacob's thoughts should be really annoying to Edward lol. Now you see why I needed Seth? He has to mediate between those two :P**_

_**And another battle coming!! But this is not the end, I warn you… it's the beginning of something worse (mwajajaja!!)**_

_**See you soon and thanks for your comments!**_

_**As always, sorry for the typos!**_


	15. Slave

"Slave"

**BPOV**

I watched with horror as Edward charged towards Azael. The other vampire didn't seem afraid or even doubtful… he moved towards Edward, while the rest of his 'army' attacked my family and the werewolves. Caitlin jumped towards the cottage's roof, and watched the fight from above. I could see she was using her gift; Edward staggered more than once while attacking Azael.

I noticed something strange there. Azael merely evaded Edward's attacks, without answering. Edward also seemed reluctant; he attacked Azael and then moved, as if trying to pass him. I realized he was trying to get to me, and Azael was simply avoiding it. In a surprising move, Edward charged again, this time punching Azael's face. The vampire growled in pain, and closed his eyes for a second… enough time for Edward to evade him and arrive next to me.

"Edward!" I screamed, hugging him.

"Bella… are you ok? Did he hurt you?" he asked frantically, looking at me. I shook my head. He then smiled.

"Good. Now, I'm going to get you out of here" he said. With a swift movement, he lifted me in his arms. But Azael was not distracted, and he was in front of us immediately.

"Not so easy, Edward" he said, and threw a punch toward him. Edward crouched to evade it, careful not to release me. Azael then tried to kick me, but Edward moved backwards. Azael continued charging, each time pushing us closer to the cottage. I heard Edward was growling fiercely, but he couldn't attack with me on his arms.

"Caitlin!" Azael screamed, and I saw her descend near him, looking at Edward. He moaned, but managed to stay standing. I wanted him to release me; I knew he was making a huge effort just keeping me in his arms. I felt him tremble, and he moaned again, louder. He closed his eyes, while Azael and Caitlin approached slowly. Finally, he screamed, and fell on his knees.

"See? You can't do anything. Surrender… come to me" Azael said, smiling. Edward growled at him, and hugged me tightly. I wanted to help, to do something for him, but we were trapped; Caitlin was doing her job. Suddenly, Rosalie came out of nowhere, launching Caitlin to the ground. The woman didn't even try to block her attack. Azael growled at her, and she looked at him with defiance.

"Don't touch my family!" she said. Caitlin then stood up, and charged towards her. Rosalie evaded her, and both women started to fight. She had distracted her… now Edward could move. Azael turned quickly when Edward stood up, with me in his arms again. Without wasting a second, he ran towards the trees.

I saw it all in slow motion. Edward running, Azael watching with awe… When Edward passed him, he jumped over him, pushing us both towards the ground. He was over us, and refused to let go. Edward managed to put his hands on the ground, so he was now over me, protecting me from the impact of Azael's attack. He growled at Azael, but was too focused on me to counter. Suddenly, he raised his arm and hit Azael with his elbow. He released his grip on him, so we stood up, but the vampire quickly recovered and grabbed Edward's leg, making him fall. Azael then charged towards me, his teeth bare… he was going to kill me.

"Run, Bella!" Edward screamed, but I was petrified. I felt Edward's hand over my chest, pushing me, and I saw as Azael's teeth closed around his neck. Edward was on the ground again, growling in pain.

"Jacob!" he screamed, and I was suddenly on Jake's back. He started to run towards the forest, and turned to see Edward. I noticed all the fights had stopped, and my family looked at the cottage with shock. What I saw made me shiver.

Azael stood up, a giant smile on his lips. Then Edward stood up again, but it was not my Edward anymore. He looked at us, his family, with empty golden eyes. I finally understood Azael's purpose: he had the power to control other vampires, and now he had Edward on his side. I was barely aware of the Cullens gasps of surprise, and Carlisle's approaching steps.

"Release him! Aro would never want this!" he said to Azael. The vampire laughed.

"Who cares about him? He's the past, I'm the present! Soon you all will be forced to obey me!" Azael said, still smiling. That was it; Azael didn't want Edward and Alice for Aro, he wanted them for himself… he wanted to overthrow the Volturi.

"No!" Emmett screamed, and charged towards Azael, but Edward placed himself in front of him. Emmett stopped. The rest of Azael's vampires moved to attack.

The Cullens retreated. I saw the regret and guilt in Carlisle's eyes as he screamed at them to run away. The vampires didn't follow; apparently, Azael had given new orders. I saw from the corner of my eyes as the 'army' moved in the opposite direction, but why? I heard a frightening howl near me, and saw a huge black wolf approaching us. The rest of the pack had arrived to destroy them, but they had escaped. It was too late. Jacob followed the Cullens closely, so I couldn't see the pack anymore; I kept telling him to go back.

"No, Jake! Go back! We can't leave Edward there! GO BACK!" I screamed at him, but he kept running. Soon, Carlisle approached us.

"We can't do anything now… our priority is you. Edward would have wanted us to protect you" Carlisle said. I saw for the first time the pain on his face. He was suffering too.

Hours later, we were on the Cullens house. The moment we arrived, I ran towards Alice, searching for her support. She hugged me tightly while I wept; I wanted to be strong, but I felt as if my heart was broken. Edward was gone forever, chained to that twisted vampire's desires, as empty as Caitlin… he was a slave. I cried and cried without caring about time, all I could think of was Edward's face, something I probably wouldn't see again. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Bella… I'm so sorry" Esme said. I raised my head to see her. She looked like she was crying, though I knew it was not possible. I realized we were at the living room, and that Jacob and Seth had phased back.

"Its all my fault! He… he tried to protect me and I…" I said between sobs. Esme put her cold hand on my chin, forcing me to look up.

"No, honey. It's not your fault. We all love you, it was our choice… his choice" Esme said with a sorrowful tone. I heard a huge crashing sound on the other room.

"Rosalie? You should go check on Emmett… he's probably trying to destroy the house" Carlisle said. Rosalie rushed towards the noise. I remained there, sitting next to Alice, trying to figure out how to live without Edward. This time, not even Jasper's ability could calm me down.

"It's not too late" Alice said. We all looked at her, hopeful.

"Did you see anything?" Jasper asked. She nodded.

"I see them in the cottage again. I don't know when… the pack forced Azael to retreat far away, but he's coming back. He still wants me" she said. Jasper growled.

"He won't get away with it" he said. If only I could help Edward too…

"What are our options, Alice?" Carlisle asked her.

"I'm not sure… I see us there, but I see two different outcomes: the first one is the one I saw before… we were wrong, Azael didn't kill us there, Edward did" she said, shaking. I felt shocked, even Carlisle seemed out of words.

"Edward? He… he's the one…" Esme said. Alice nodded.

"NO! that can't be! He's…" I started, but Carlisle interrupted me.

"He's being controlled. He won't have a choice. But now there's another option, right Alice?" he said, looking at her with hope. She sighed.

"Yes but… I don't know. Either he kills us, or we… release him before" she said, sad. Release him? How?

"What do you mean with that?" Emmett asked. I hadn't seen him approach. Alice doubted; that scared me even more.

"We can… kill him. Save him from being Azael's tool" she finally said. It took a moment for her words to sink in. Emmett was furious.

"Emmett…" Jasper said.

"How can you say that? I'm NOT going to kill my own brother!! That's out of question!!" he shouted. I totally agreed with him.

"Alice, there HAS to be another way!" I begged her. She had to see something else. She looked at me with sadness.

"I'm sorry… I don't see anything more. Since Edward doesn't have a mind anymore, I can't predict his actions, only Azael's orders to him" she said. Esme looked at her.

"We could force him to react, to release himself" she said. Alice shrugged.

"As I said, I can't see his reactions. I can't say if that would work" she answered.

"We can't risk that" a voice said. I saw as Jacob guided Sam towards us, along with… Alphonse? I felt the usual rage when I thought about him.

"YOU! What are you doing here?! This is your fault!" I yelled at him, but I didn't know why. Maybe just because it all started with the wound he'd given Edward. He simply ignored me. I heard with pleasure as Emmett growled at him.

"My fault? How is that?" Alphonse asked, serious. The rest of the group looked at me, waiting.

"Caitlin can inflict physical pain as long as there's a scar or wound. You made Edward more vulnerable" Jasper said. I looked at him with shock; so that's why only he and Edward were affected. "He told me that before…" Jasper said, stopping before saying the painful words.

"Stop it. What do you mean by that?" Carlisle asked Sam.

"We can't let this coven run freely here. If they come back, we won't waste time trying to reason with any of them. They all will die" Sam answered. I was angry; they were willing to kill innocents? Vampires who couldn't chose their fate? Would they kill Edward?

"They are being controlled. They don't know what they're doing" Carlisle said, trying to persuade them. Alphonse cleared his throat.

"Do you know how to release them, leech?" he asked. Carlisle shook his head. "Then we have no choice. Kill or be killed" the hunter said.

"I hate to admit it, but I agree with him. They're dangerous, and must be destroyed. Sorry, Bella" Sam said, looking at me. How could he say that and expect me to accept it?

"I'm not going to allow it!" Emmett said.

"You were discussing it before! If you don't have the courage to do it… I will" Jake said. I think I saw guilt in his eyes.

Carlisle sighed, and nodded. I couldn't believe he was agreeing to this. I knew how much he loved Edward… he was the son he never had. He hugged Esme, who was shaking uncontrollably. Emmett and I looked at him, enraged, but he didn't say anything until the pack leaved.

"You can't allow this!" Emmett said once we were alone.

"I'm not. I just told them what they wanted to hear" Carlisle said, serious. He then looked at me. "We'll try, Bella. You're right, we can't loose hope yet. Maybe he can return to us… we'll try to save him" he added.

I understood. The moment I heard it, I understood Alice's vision: she hadn't seen the battle we just had, she had seen far beyond it; Edward was going to kill us, because we were going to try and save him. They were going to risk their lives for this. Well, I could do that too… we still had a couple of days before they returned; we could find a way to save him before the pack destroyed the coven. I had to be strong.

I could still save Edward.

_**Argh! Complicated chapter!! And I told you it was only the beginning… that's why there's no huge fight here! (more or less :P). Don't worry, you'll see a huge one near the end (YAY! You know I like fight scenes!!). And yeah! Alice's vision is not yet fulfilled!!**_

_**God! The more I write Azael, the more I hate him lol. He's such an evil character… he just thinks of himself and his ambition; by the way, yeah, he really is betraying the Volturi… stupid vampire!!**_

_**I hope you liked this… I had some trouble with the beginning. /sigh/**_

_**Oh, and thanks to VampireorWolfHow2Choose for correcting this!**_


	16. A different battle

"A different battle"

**BPOV**

Two days had passed. Two days of agony, of sorrow, of tears.

How could life be so unfair with us? Now that I was finally married to Edward, some stupid vampire had to come and ruin it all. I felt sad… I didn't have the courage to smile anymore. My life was broken, empty. Each passing minute I remembered him. When I passed by the piano, I heard my lullaby; each time I sat on the couch, I remembered his arms around me; each time I breathed I remembered his face, his smile, his velvet voice… the way he smiled at me, the way his golden eyes left me dazzled… his laugh.

The Cullens were as bad as I was. I noticed big changes in all of them. Emmett was not the happy, easy-going vampire I was used to; he didn't smile anymore, and had a tendency to break anything in his reach. Rosalie tried to comfort him, but she was at a loss there. Jasper went out and remained active almost all the time, desperate to find a solution; it was strange to see him like that… I was accustomed to his shy, quiet character. The worst was seeing Esme and Carlisle; they both thought of Edward as their son, and both were devastated by his absence. Esme sometimes looked at the piano with such sadness I thought she was crying, and remained silent most of the time. Carlisle, on the other hand, gave me even more reasons to admire him… he was broken, too, I could see that on his eyes, but he remained firm, focused. They all were so different from before… it was as if their enthusiasm and joy had gone with Edward.

These days had been horrible, but at least this time I was not entirely alone. Alice was with me all the time, and sometimes Esme was with us too. Carlisle and the others were out almost all day, searching for the coven or for any way to save Edward. Alice had insisted in helping them, but Jasper had refused; he knew Azael wanted her too, and was not willing to take risks. So here we were, sitting on the couch, waiting for anything to happen. I sighed when I felt tears in my eyes again; it was amazing I could still cry after two days. Alice moved closer to me.

"It's going to be fine, Bella" She said.

"Did you see something?" I asked bitterly. She shook her head.

"No, but we must have hope, don't you think?" she added, smiling sadly. I've never seen her like that. She noticed my stare and chuckled. "I just miss Jasper" she said.

"Alice…" I said. I hadn't realized how worried she was.

"Don't feel sorry, I'm just…" she said, but stopped abruptly. I noticed her absent gaze with a mixture of fear and hope: she was having a vision, she was seeing Edward. I wanted to scream at her to give me answers, but I made an effort to wait until she finished. Some seconds later, she smiled at me and stood up with amazing speed and… impatience?

"I saw them! They're coming here!" she practically yelled. I jumped on my feet.

"You saw them? Is he…?" I asked, unable to finish.

"Yes, he's with them… I need to talk to Carlisle" she said, and dialed his number on her cell phone.

"Carlisle? I had a vision… yes, he's there… about an hour or two… no, here… I don't know, they're involved after that… yes… alright. See you soon. Tell Jasper he better hurry back or I'll kill him" she said, and hung up. I stared at her, anxious.

"Alice?" I asked.

"Oh sorry, Bella! I saw them coming here; apparently Azael wants me to join him now. But after a moment it all became blurred… your friends are coming too. They probably would detect them." Alice said, serious.

"And what about Edward? Don't you see…?" I asked, again unwilling to finish my words. She sighed.

"Sorry, Bella. My two options are still there… I can't see his reaction" she said. Despite the negative possibilities, my heart was beating faster… if I was going to die, at least I could see Edward one last time.

An hour later, we were outside the house, waiting for Azael's group. I was nervous; was I going to see the death of my family? I felt a hand over my shoulder, and looked at Alice. I sighed, ready to speak.

"Listen… I want you to know I love you so much… all of you. I'm very happy to be with you now. Thank you for accepting me, and loving me as one of you." I said with shaking voice. After all, if I was going to die here, I wanted them to know how much they meant to me. They all smiled.

"Thank you, Bella. We love you too… but don't say goodbye yet. We must have hope" Carlisle said to me.

"They're here" Emmett said. I looked at the front, and saw them emerge from the forest.

"Well… it seems I have a reception party" Azael said and stopped in front of us, with Caitlin and… Edward. I gasped when I saw him again; his normally intense eyes were black and empty, and the bags under them were enormous. I noticed he and other vampires had small cuts on their faces and arms… I wondered why. But Emmett was faster.

"Stupid! What have you done to him?!" he roared. Azael smiled.

"Your wolf friends are certainly… enthusiastic" he answered. I gasped again; Jacob and Sam had attacked them? Where they alright? I heard a howl in the distance… as Alice had predicted, they had noticed Azael's return.

"This is your last chance, Azael. Return Edward to us… or die here" Emmett said. Azael laughed at him. I wanted so much to break his face. If only I was a vampire…

"Alice? Have you changed your mind?" he said to her. She growled. "I see… well, it's a shame. Such a useful gift wasted. Edward?" Azael said, and Edward crouched, ready to attack. I panicked; his gift allowed him to beat even Emmett, reading his thoughts before he made a move.

My family prepared too. Alice suddenly looked at me with an expression I couldn't understand. She pushed me behind to protect me. Without a sign, Emmett charged towards Azael, and hit him with such strength he was sent towards a tree. The vampire army charged towards us, while Emmett and Azael kept fighting. My family attacked too; I saw with horror as Esme grabbed Caitlin's arm and bit her shoulder… I've never seen her like that. The vampires were too much; even with their expertise, the Cullens were in serious danger this time. But then I looked at the center of the battle, and my heart stopped.

Carlisle and Edward were there, circling each other, waiting for a chance to attack. I watched with horror as Carlisle growled at his son, but he didn't move. It seemed to me he was talking to him, but Edward was not listening.

"Kill him, Edward!" I heard Azael said. Edward growled, and charged towards Carlisle.

Carlisle tried to evade him, but Edward was too quick. He anticipated all his moves, and countered them. He bit Carlisle's neck, and I heard him growl in pain; he raised his hand and hit Edward's head… and he released him. Carlisle charged again, and managed to hit Edward on the chest, where he knew he was vulnerable. Edward growled and, oblivious to the pain, grabbed his father's arm and threw him on the ground. Carlisle immediately stood up and tried to catch Edward, but his thoughts gave him away, and Edward escaped. I felt horrified to see them; I knew Edward loved Carlisle as a father, and now I was seeing how he tried to kill him. I wanted to scream at him, to make him stop… maybe Alice was right, maybe it was best to save his soul, to release him from this… but I refused to let him die.

Carlisle tried to subdue Edward, and reached for his shoulders, but he failed. Edward jumped over him, and both fell on the ground. Edward grabbed Carlisle's shoulders with such strength he probably broke them, and moved his head towards his father's neck, ready to rip his head off. But Carlisle was fast and grabbed Edward's head with his hands; I saw as he forced Edward to expose his neck, and then gasped when I realized what he was going to do.

"I'm sorry, my son… I love you" I heard him say. He was saying it out loud so the rest could hear it. I cried, and watched with horror as Carlisle's teeth approached Edward's throat… but he doubted, and stopped near his objective. Edward remained still, why? I thought he would take advantage of it… maybe he was not as controlled as we thought. Suddenly, I heard a familiar growl approaching, and saw a huge russet wolf jump towards Edward. Jacob bit his neck and pushed him towards the ground, away from Carlisle.

Edward immediately reacted, and punched Jacob in the face. He released him, and Edward stood up again, growling at Jacob. Jake charged towards him, but Edward evaded and moved to bite him. Carlisle then approached and pushed Edward aside, making him fall again. Jacob growled at Carlisle; it was obvious he didn't want the help… or maybe, he thought Carlisle was protecting his adoptive son. Edward then jumped over Carlisle, and pushed him towards the ground. Jake took the opportunity and charged, obviously aiming at Edward's neck… he was too distracted with Carlisle to notice… Jacob's jaw was only inches away… no, I couldn't allow this.

"Jacob, no! PLEASE, NO!" I screamed with all my strength.

In all the forest, a growl of agony was heard.

_**Seriously, I think at this point you hate me, right? So many cliffies!! But sorry, I HAVE to create suspence… YAY! **_

_**And poor Carlisle, forced to fight Edward!! (I almost cried there! T-T) He's quite the pacifist, so we never see him fight, but I thought this would give a more dramatic atmosphere there… and Jacob had to ruin it :P. **_

_**And Esme… well, I never imagined her attacking someone (she's so sweet) but, considering Caitlin was hurting her beloved son (hate her!!) I'm sure she'll be willing to at least unleash her anger on her (go, Esme! Kick her ass!! Lol).**_

_**And I know I ignored Azael vs Emmett… but you know WHO has to defeat him, right? ;)**_

_**Again, thanks to the amazing VampireorWolf How2Choose for correcting this and keeping up with my hyper updates!**_


	17. Battle of love

"Battle of love"

**BPOV**

Jacob's howl of agony echoed through the forest, and tore at my heart. The moment I had yelled, he was distracted, and Edward grabbed his neck without releasing Carlisle. Jacob moved frantically, desperate to escape, but Edward's grip was too strong. I heard Jake's gasps, struggling to get air, but he was starting to loose consciousness.

"Edward! Please, stop!" I cried with all my strength, but he didn't listen.

I saw as Carlisle tried to push him, but before he managed to do so, a huge black wolf charged towards Edward, biting the arm that was hurting Jake. Edward growled and released Jacob's neck… I saw him whimper and stagger away from him, too dizzy to help Sam. He was now over Edward, trying to bite his neck, but this time Edward didn't feel anything, not even pain, so he hit Sam's chest and sent him practically flying towards a tree, oblivious of his wounds. Edward didn't waste time, and ran towards Sam, who was trying to regain his focus… I saw as he jumped with his teeth bare, ready to strike, to kill… but then, another black wolf, even bigger than Sam, placed himself in front of him.

Alphonse growled in pain as Edward grabbed his shoulders, but managed to evade his poisonous teeth and bite his neck instead. Edward growled and pushed him aside with such strength even I heard his bones crack. Alphonse immediately stood up, and pushed Edward aside with the same fury. I was shocked when I realized he was trying to get Edward away from Sam… I realized he was as surprised as I was, for he merely remained there, growling softly and watching as his 'father' fought against Edward –again-. Everytime he tried to approach Sam, Alphonse attacked fiercely, even risking his own life to protect Sam's.

At my right, a cracking sound distracted me from the battle. I saw Emmett on the ground, growling at Azael and other vampire near him. Azael was not even wounded. I felt furious; this disgusting vampire wasn't fighting fair. Emmett stood up, ready to continue, but Azael disappeared. The other vampire charged towards Emmett, but his leader remained hidden. I saw as the rest of the Cullens continued fighting… I saw as Jasper found Azael, and threw him towards a tree, breaking it. Azael stood up and charged towards him, but Jasper was fast and evaded him. I couldn't see much of the fight between them, just a blur of color… but then Jasper punched Azael's face, and the vampire stopped his attack for a moment, growling.

"You won't touch my Alice!" I heard Jasper growl. Azael smiled.

"You have no choice in it" he answered, and disappeared again. I saw as another vampire tried to catch Alice without success. Esme and Rosalie were attacking too… I turned; the show was too painful to watch.

Jacob had returned to the fight when Alphonse fell, his leg hanging limply, broken. I saw as Edward hit him again, I heard him growl in pain… I couldn't bear it anymore. Edward had such a good, kind heart; if he returned to us, he'd feel devastated by this. I had to stop him, but how? I was weak, a simple human between a vampire fight. I remembered with pain Edward's words, one night I had asked how much he loved me…

"_So much you can't even imagine it. So much that, even unconsciously, my thoughts lead me to you. So much that I doubt there's anything in this world that could keep me away from you._

Did he mean that? could I be the one to wake him up? Would I be willing to risk my life and try it? Yes. I was willing to die for it. I saw as Edward pushed Jake again, but this time I was resolved: I was waiting for a chance… the vampires were strangely retreating; it was evident Azael didn't want to loose the best elements of his army. The unheard order reached Edward, and he stopped for a moment, waiting. This was my chance. I ran as fast as I could, reaching for him… he saw me with those horrible empty eyes, but didn't move. I thought I saw Azael's face, suddenly worried… and I felt hope; apparently, Edward was _disobeying_ him. I hugged him tightly, pressing my body with his.

"Edward! Please stop! Don't you remember me? It's me, Bella! Please, come back! Come back to me!" I said to him, looking at his eyes, searching for any hint of recognition.

"Edward! Kill her!" Azael yelled at him. I felt as his hands grabbed my shoulders, but nothing more. I vaguely remembered what Alice had seen: he _was_ going to kill me. But I refused to believe it; she had said the future was not written, that it could be changed. Ignoring my fear, I grabbed Edward's face with my hands, while the tears ran freely down my cheeks.

"Edward… please, remember… please…" I begged him.

"Edward! What are you waiting for? I told you to kill her! NOW!" Azael yelled. I realized he was now really worried and frantic. Edward WASN'T obeying him.

I looked at him, hopeful, and I saw as his eyes changed. He grimaced slightly, as if in pain, and started to breathe faster. He growled and closed his eyes, then released my shoulders… he grabbed his head with both hands, growling loudly; he swayed a little, grimacing even more. I saw Azael was now behind him; he was grimacing too, fighting to gain control again… but Edward was strong. Azael grabbed his head too, focusing so much in Edward that all the other vampires stopped. I heard Alice's gasp… the future she was seeing was changing, but how?

"Leave me… don't…" I heard Edward say. His voice was cracked with effort, but it was not empty. He was coming back. Azael growled behind him.

"Don't you dare… you're not strong enough!" he said. Stupid, Edward WAS stronger than him. Edward growled again, and Azael fell on his knees, apparently in pain. Edward then fell too, and I kneeled next to him, fearful. What was I going to see? He raised his head to look at me, and I cried again: his eyes were black, but looked at me with regret… with love.

"Bella?" he asked, doubtful. I smiled and hugged him again. He was back, he was my Edward again.

"Edward! Edward!" I kept repeating, unable to express my joy. I kissed his face, everything I could reach, with such desperation I was trembling… until I found his mouth, and kissed it as he always prohibited me to. But this time, he kissed me back instead of refraining; I felt his cold lips were as urgent as mine, and he caressed me without stopping.

"Sorry, Bella… I'm so sorry…" he repeated between kisses.

"You're back… you're back" I repeated too, and he smiled sadly at me. I caressed his face, trying to convince myself this wasn't a dream. He kissed my hands.

"Thank you, Bella… thank you…" he said to me. The rest of our family was there in a second; they all seemed on the verge of tears.

"How…?" Alice asked, shocked.

"Who cares?" Emmett answered, and kneeled to give Edward a friendly hug –which was difficult, considering I refused to release him-. Esme looked so joyful, and Carlisle smiled in a way I've never seen before.

"Welcome back, son" Carlisle said. Rosalie laughed nervously at his side. Jasper approached to hug Alice.

"What a nice image!" a voice mocked behind us. Edward immediately stood up, pushing me behind him to protect me. Azael was looking at us, but his arrogant smile was gone. He was furious.

"It's not over yet" Edward said. I looked around: the pack was fine, but Sam, Alphonse and Jake were wounded… the biggest wolves of the group were unable to fight, and Azael had regained control of his army, who was now surrounding us.

"You know you can't win, Edward. Your only option is to surrender… you and Alice don't understand the real extent of your gifts. Do you realize what we can do together? We'll be unstoppable! Even Aro and the Volturi will have to obey us!" Azael said. Edward growled.

"You're just like Aro… just thinking about power, nothing more. I rather die than to serve your evil purposes" Edward said.

"That's it, bro!" Emmett said, enthusiastic. Azael growled.

"Then you shall all die here" Azael said. The army moved closer to us, but Edward wasn't paying attention. It seemed he was listening to Carlisle's thoughts.

"I'll do it… he's mine" he said to him. Carlisle's face showed concern. Edward smiled.

"I can escape his gift… I'll do it, don't worry" he said. Carlisle reluctantly nodded. I looked at him, waiting for an explanation, but I already guessed what he was going to do. I didn't like it.

"What about a deal, Azael?" Edward asked, serious. Azael seemed interested.

"A deal? What do you mean?" he asked.

"You and I, alone, on a fight. If you win, you can take us both" he said, winking at Alice, who smiled. "But if I win… well, I think you know what would happen" he finished. Azael looked angry.

"Are you threatening me, boy?" he asked, growling.

"Well, if you don't have to courage…" Jasper interrupted.

"Come on! You're not a coward, are you?" Emmett teased him. Azael growled. It was obvious he didn't like to be treated like that. He moved closer and smiled, trying to hide his rage.

"Alright, boy… if you want it the hard way, so be it" he said, and crouched. Edward was about to move when I grabbed his arm, reluctant to let him go. He raised my head with his hand, and wiped away the tears.

"I'll be back soon… I promise, love" he said, kissing me softly. I had to be brave for him.

"I'll be watching" I said, and he walked towards Azael. Esme hugged me, in an attempt to reassure me.

I watched as the pack remained still, waiting for the battle. I watched with fear as Edward crouched, ready to attack. I watched as my one and only true love prepared to defend his family, the pack, and me. Was I going to loose him again?

I watched with hope, praying for his victory, as both vampires circled each other. The final battle was about to begin.

_**Now you know why it's called like that nn. I think Edward's love for Bella is that strong! Yay! /envy/. And poor werewolves, Edward really is frightening!! Actually, I wanted him to be more fierce when controlled, since he doesn't think anymore (so he doesn't care hurting Bella's friends, or his family… or killing anyone) How lucky Bella made him react :P**_

_**And poor Alphonse has really bad luck! Beaten twice by the same vamp (go, Edward!!) at least now he was trying to save Sam… the poor guy has a heart, after all (hidden, but it's there lol).**_

_**Now to write my battle with Azael! (don't worry, Bella will be changed, but wait and see… you know I'm not your typical Bella's-in-danger-Edward-turns-her-to-save-her writer :P)**_

_**As always, thanks to VampireorWolf How2Choose for the help!**_


	18. Final battle

"Final battle"

**BPOV**

Edward and Azael continued circling each other. While I watched them, my mind was racing… Edward had mentioned he couldn't read Azael's thoughts, which meant he didn't have any advantage over him. On the other hand, Azael had proved to be quite strong despite his appearance; he'd been able to beat Emmett, who was the strongest of the Cullens. Besides, he was taller than Edward, and seemed more experienced. Without the ability to predict his moves, how was Edward going to win?

I saw the rest of the Cullens at my sides, looking intently at the circle created by the wolves and the vampires. I thought I saw Esme murmuring something… and saw as the pack prepared to attack. I panicked when I realized that, whoever was the winner, they were going to attack next. Would I end up as the sole survivor of a supernatural massacre? I shuddered when I remembered Jacob's teeth closer to Edward's neck; how could he be so cruel to me? How could he love me and try to take away my reason to live?

Both vampires moved a little faster this time, and I could see Edward was more focused. For the first time, he didn't know what his opponent would do next. I looked at Alphonse; that time, Edward's gift had been important, it had saved him… this time, the opponent was stronger, but the advantage was gone. I was not the religious type, but I prayed with all my heart for Edward, for his victory.

Suddenly, they charged, and all became a blur of white and black: good versus evil. My happiness and my doom.

**EPOV**

I was scared. As we circled each other, waiting for a chance to begin, I analyzed my probabilities… they weren't very comforting. Azael was taller, older and experienced, and I didn't have the ability to predict his attacks. My only advantage here was that he couldn't control me anymore; in fact, that was the reason for my 'duel': if anyone in my family attacked him, there was a risk he'll control them… I couldn't bear that thought. I glimpsed at Bella once in a while; she looked terrified. I hated to make her suffer (which was the reason why I had released myself unconsciously from Azael's control), I knew he couldn't force me to obey again… his bite worked only once, and Bella's presence made me stronger.

The wolves were waiting too, ready to strike the winner. I heard their thoughts clearly, but I had to block them; there was no point worrying about them now. Sam and Alphonse were confused…

_Whoever wins this, we'll have to finish it… just be careful. Bella's here. _Sam thought. I tried to block him too, but I was worried. He, after all, had declared we were enemies.

_But… Bella chose it. That doesn't matter?_ Seth asked. Alphonse growled, but thought nothing. I felt sorry for him; he was torn between our friendship and his duty… poor Seth. Suddenly, Jacob's thoughts –noisy as always- interrupted their thoughts.

_Woah! That vamp is bigger than him… he'll probably die here. But Bella, she'll feel horrible. What should I do? After all, she chose him… what kind of friend am I to destroy her? If Sam… _I was shocked. Jacob had finally begun to understand things; he was starting to trust and accept Bella's choice. He really loved her; at least, if something happened to me, he could eventually make her happy. No, I refused to think that. I was going to do that, and this vampire was not going to stop me.

I finally blocked the pack's thoughts and focused on Azael. He was smiling with arrogance; a mistake, he was underestimating me. He thought he had the victory assured only because I couldn't read his mind? Fool. Emmett or Jasper never had that advantage and here they were, alive and healthy… Jasper –the expert- had taught me to fight, had showed me to attack without my gift. If Azael thought I was defeated, he was wrong. With a soft growl, both charged at each other, ready to begin.

We moved so fast. Azael was really good at this. He threw a few punches towards me, and I managed to stop some of them, but he passed through my defense and hit me on the chest… I heard a crack there as his hand broke my ribs. I growled and punched him on the face, then moved to kick his side. He growled too, in pain, before charging again. This time, he grabbed my arms with such strength his long nails pierced my skin, and he bit my neck. We fell to the ground, he over me. I kicked him again, oblivious to his iron grip, with all my strength. He was sent backwards, and I felt as his nails tore at my arms, and his teeth tore at my neck. I screamed and stood up again, before he could do the same, and charged. He stood up, but I crouched to evade his punches and bite his shoulder. Azael growled again; I grabbed his neck, trying to rip it apart, but he kicked me.

I fell to the ground again. I moved before his hands managed to catch me, and I placed myself behind him. Before I could bite his neck, he turned and bit my arm. I growled frantically, trying to escape before he could rip it apart, but his grip was strong. Instead of running, I grabbed his shoulders, breaking his bones, piercing my fingers on his skin. He loosened his grip a little, enough for me to punch his face and send him away. He recovered quickly, and moved towards me again; he hit my face with his fist, and I hit his chest in return. We both swayed a little with the strength of the impact, but he was faster this time… he approached me, his hand reaching for my neck again; I moved to evade, but I was late… he slashed my face instead, and blinded me for a second.

I couldn't see clearly; Azael had hurt my eye. I growled in pain, but tried to keep him in sight with my other eye. He charged immediately, eager to finish. The moment he showed his teeth, approaching my neck, he forgot his defense… I launched myself towards him. I grabbed his arm and, using my back as support, threw him towards the ground. He growled in agony; I heard as some of his bones cracked with the impact, along with his arm. I was about to tear it apart when he moved his leg to kick mine… I lost balance when I felt the pain: he had broke my leg too. I was about to fall, but managed to stay standing. However, I released Azael's arm, and he stood up.

"This is useless, Edward. You know you can't win… you're suffering in vain" he said, but I smiled. His voice sounded a little unsteady.

"You are the one suffering in vain… I'm not going to loose… you know it…" I said, trying to make my own voice steadier. The pain was too much, but I ignored it. Azael growled… he had noticed it.

"You barely can stand… you haven't fed in a long time… you're weak…" he said. He was right; I vaguely remembered he kept us starving to make us weaker, easier to control. But I was not going to show weakness now, especially not when I noticed he was in pain too.

"Who cares…?" I hissed at him, and charged again.

**BPOV**

I tried to see something, but I was not succeeding. Thanks to their vampire speed, Edward and Azael moved too fast for human eyes, so I could only see flashes and blurs of color, except when one of them fell. I heard Esme gasp a few times, and my heart raced at the possibilities behind her distress… I watched Alice attentively for any sign of confidence. She kept staring at the front, searching for results, but had said nothing so far. My guess was that the fight was so even the future changed repeatedly.

Carlisle was looking too, but he made no gesture or sign to me. I felt desperate; I wanted to see as they saw, to know what was happening. I kept repeating Azael's words on my head, worried… _You_ _barely can stand… you haven't fed in a long time… you're weak… _I remembered the fight against Alphonse, the hunter, and shuddered when I thought about it. I looked reluctantly at the huge black wolf standing next to Sam –black wolf too-… I was afraid of him, he could use the opportunity and attack Edward after the battle.

More than once, I'd seen Jacob take a step forward, as if deciding whether to attack or not. All the wolves were standing, waiting for the victor to kill him. Or was Jake trying to help Edward? I doubted that, but the way he moved hesitantly towards the battle made me think that… had he changed his mind? Had he accepted my choice?

The battle was more visible now. Every now and then, both moved slower. I saw as Azael bit Edward's arms or face, and saw as he countered his attacks. I gasped each time he was hit or bitten, I couldn't stand the image of it. I lost count of how many times Edward fell to the ground, growling in pain, or how many times Azael had punched him… sometimes, I even heard a cracking sound… they were destroying each other, breaking each other… if this continued, they'll end up killing each other at the same time.

I saw as Edward bit Azael's neck, piercing it with his poisonous teeth. Azael grabbed Edward's hair, pushing him away from him, but he was stubborn and refused to let go. Azael growled in agony as Edward's teeth tore at his flesh… he hit him a couple of times, but Edward remained there. Azael was desperate, I could see that. If Edward continued, he'll surely behead him. Azael hit Edward's chest, and I saw him grimace in agony; he lost his grip on his neck, and Azael pulled him away –still grabbing his hair- then threw him again. Edward stood up with difficulty; I recognized the signs as the same he'd showed with Alphonse, when he fainted in my arms. I cried, wishing for this to stop as I saw him charge at Azael. They became a blur again. Suddenly, I felt a hand in mine. I raised my head, expecting to see Esme or Alice, but it was Carlisle who had grabbed it.

"It will be over soon, Bella" he said to me. I couldn't resist the urge to hug him, to let him comfort me… he held me while I cried, without taking my eyes off the fight. Alice heard him, and approached to hug me too… until she tensed, her eyes unfocused.

"Edward…" she murmured. Edward what? Did that mean he was winning? Or that he was going to die? I couldn't interpret her voice. When I looked at the fight, I gasped, echoing my family's reaction.

It all happened in a second or two. Edward moved forward, growling at Azael and with his teeth bare. Azael moved too, his hands ready to traverse him with his long nails. I heard a disgusting sound… flesh being slashed? I didn't know… and my heart stopped.

In front of me, Azael's hand entered Edward'chest, his fingers digging inside… while Edward was biting Azael's neck.

_**My evilness amazes me!! God! I can't believe I write these things! Lol. Hope my battle is fine… a little, um, strong? At the end, but my evil side won the battle against my good one (he always does… he's funnier :P).**_

_**A point I want to make clear: I don't know if vampires can 'traverse' each other with their hands, but let's consider that Azael has long nails… that's what Bella sees piercing Edward's chest (lucky his heart doesn't beat anymore :P).**_

_**If I'm being too cruel… please forgive meeee!! But a fight between two vampires HAS to be that intense –in my humble opinion-. /shudders/**_

_**Now to write next chapter!! /tries to deal with Sam and Alphonse…/**_


	19. Death and Rebirth

"Death and Rebirth"

**EPOV**

I felt as Azael's nails pierced my chest, but I didn't stop. I knew this was going to happen; it was not the time to feel the agony. The moment he had charged towards me, he had forgotten his defense, so I took the opportunity and approached, biting his neck. He growled in pain, and moved his fingers to make the wound deeper, but I didn't care. I'd known worse pain –thanks to his Caitlin- and was willing to resist as long as it took to kill him. I circled his waist with my arms, applying as much strength as I could without releasing his neck. He grabbed one of my shoulders with his free hand, crushing it frantically in an attempt to stop me… but he couldn't. I couldn't let him live after this, I had someone to protect.

"You stupid…" he said, growling despite my grip. My teeth were slashing his neck, but his hand was pushing me, making it harder to finish him.

I pushed harder, piercing his skin with my teeth. He growled again, but his voice was practically gone; he didn't have any more air to speak loudly. I heard as my shoulder broke under his hand, and felt the pain, but refused to pay attention to it. I was blocked; I was ignoring my wounds, focused only on his neck, on his death. Azael gasped.

"Cai…tlin… kill… him…" he managed to say. If only he released my shoulder… but then I heard Caitlin's growls and felt as she jumped over my back, this time piercing MY neck with her teeth. I panicked; she was behind me, so I couldn't evade her… and if I tried to fight her, I'd be forced to release Azael. I was trapped. I felt with agony as her teeth moved in my neck, slashing and destroying my skin… Azael's grip loosened a little as he got weaker… I had no time to loose, it was now or never.

I used the opportunity. The moment I felt his hand loosen, I moved closer, finally tearing apart his neck with my teeth. Azael's eyes were wide open with surprise as he felt it, and I felt as Caitlin's attack stopped abruptly… she was free.

_What… what am I doing here? What…? _I heard Caitlin's thoughts for the first time, confused but apparently inoffensive. She was looking at Azael's body, saw as his head fell to the floor… I swayed, tired and in pain. I heard the growls of the pack, but I couldn't focus on their thoughts to understand them… I heard Bella scream my name… and I prayed she hadn't seen this, seen me like this. I hoped someone had blinded her, so that she couldn´t see the monster emerge…

Bella was safe now…

**BPOV**

I felt terrified when I saw Caitlin attack Edward. He couldn't defend himself without releasing the other vampire, which was worse… I cried, sure that I was about to see his head fall…

I saw nothing. The moment Edward had growled –apparently ready to kill Azael- Carlisle had hugged me, placing my head on his icy chest so I couldn't see it. The fact is, I didn't care about it. Edward had won, he had survived… he was coming back to me. The moment Carlisle released me I saw Azael's body on the ground, and a tangle of black hair not to far from it. Caitlin was standing a few meters near Edward, looking at us with confusion. I realized Azael's death had released her and the other vampires from his control, and they were now free and conscious. Finally, I looked at Edward: he was looking at me too with a sad expression; I knew he didn't like me to see these things, but I didn't care.

I ran towards him when I saw he swayed a little. My poor Edward had been through a lot… he rushed towards me too, and we hugged fiercely once we reached each other. He fell on his knees, dragging me with him, and started kissing my face and my lips with urgency.

"I'm sorry… It's over…" he whispered with a cracked voice. I remember suddenly that he'd been hurt.

"Edward! Are you alright? Does it hurt too much?" I asked, but he kept kissing me without a word. I was dizzy soon enough. I sopped when I felt his body tense… he couldn't hide his pain anymore.

I realized Jasper and Emmett had approached Azael's body and had set it on fire; I smelled the familiar scent. I saw with shock –and apprehension- as Caitlin talked with Esme. I wondered what was she asking… was Azael important to her? Was she evil? But I felt Edward tremble in my arms, and I forgot everything. I looked at his beautiful –and strangely tired- face, and he smiled at me. The pain was evident on his eyes.

"Carlisle!" I yelled, realizing I should have done so since the beginning… but he didn't come.

"We have… a problem…" Edward said with effort. We both looked towards Carlisle, and I saw with horror as Sam approached him, growling. I had forgotten his warnings before. Carlisle and the others stepped back slowly, until they all were surrounding us. Caitlin and the other vampires were close too, but confused. Sam growled, but she approached him defiantly.

"Stop there, wolf! What exactly is happening here?" she asked. Her voice was soft and velvet, very nice to hear… I've never heard it before. She seemed kind.

"We have a treaty between them… if we change this girl, they'll kill us. But she has chosen so" Carlisle said to her. Caitlin looked at me. Edward straightened a little, grimacing in pain.

"That doesn't… matter… you can't…" he said painfully. I realized he was repeating Sam's words. I looked at Sam with rage.

"It is my choice! I want it! My choice it's none of your business!" I said to him. Alphonse approached, and growled too.

"We can't… allow more… of them…" Edward repeated Alphonse's words. I hated him; he talked about my family as if it was a plague.

"What's the problem with that? they don't hurt people, and I won't do it either!! There's no problem with that!" I argued. Why were they so reluctant? In my opinion, one vampire more was no problem if it followed the lifestyle of the Cullens. Sam looked at Carlisle.

"Your choice…" Edward said for him. Carlisle sighed and looked at me.

"She's too involved with us. If she stays human, you'll sentence her to a life full of fear and danger. I think she has the right to decide, the right to protect herself" Carlisle said. I watched at him with awe… I didn't know he thought like that. Edward chuckled slowly, until a wave of pain made him close his eyes.

"He's right… you can't control her life, she's free" Caitlin said. How ironic, since she'd lived controlled for some time.

"This is… none of your… business leech" Edward said for Alphonse. I wished they could just phase back. My poor Edward was making too much effort to translate.

"So, you're not going to attack us too?" she asked. I heard as the hunter growled; I was starting to like Caitlin. Jacob approached Sam, and seemed to talk to him. Sam growled at him and almost attacked. What had Jake said? As if guessing my thoughts, Edward smiled at me.

"He said… they should respect… your choice" he said. I felt tears in my eyes; Jacob finally understood me.

"Thank you, Jake" I said, unable to express how much that meant to me. He barked playfully.

"He can't… decide… you can't…" Edward started, but stopped and moaned softly. I was shocked and terrified; he NEVER showed me how bad he felt, if he had done so now that meant he was really _really_ bad. I had made my choice here.

"Shut up! You can't decide for me! I'm going to do it, end of discussion!" I said. The pack growled at me.

"This sounds weird but… will you help us?" Carlisle asked Caitlin. I saw Alice smile near him; she had seen her response.

"Yes… I guess it's the least we can do to thank you" she said. I heard as the other vampires approached, willing to follow her lead. Caitlin was good, after all. Sam growled.

"It's decided… you can't force her…" Edward said, this time on his own. The wolves prepared to attack, and the vampires did the same. Suddenly, Jacob and Seth placed themselves in front of us… they were going to protect us. I looked defiantly at Sam and exposed my neck, pressing Edward's head gently towards it. I felt his cold lips tense.

"Bella…" he said, nervous. I'd never heard him like that.

"It's fine, really. Carlisle is right: I can't be helpless anymore, I need to protect myself. I love you… save me from the danger. You always protect me and take care of me, let me help you… let me return only a little of what you've done for me" I said to him. He raised his head to look at me, his eyes full of love and understanding.

"Thank you, Bella… for loving me" he said.

"I should be saying that" I said, but I couldn't hide I was nervous too. He was convinced now, he was not going to stop.

"I love you… together" he said, and I barely heard him.

"Together… for eternity" I said. I felt his lips on my neck, then the pain of his teeth traversing my skin… and nothing more.

_**JAJA! I told you I was not going to use the usual formula for the changing!!! I decided that, since in all fics Edward changes her to save her life, I was going to omit that. I really wanted it to be more a matter of choice; Bella CHOOSES to be changed instead of it being the last resource :P**_

_**By the way… the vampire army, now released from Azael's control, doesn't have to be bad, right? And of course, they should feel grateful to the group that released them n_n. And I liked Caitlin :P… she ended up being such a nice vampire… for a moment, my twisted mind thought about making a werewolf imprint on Caitlin... tempting… (Jacob glares at Tsuyu ryu)**_

_**And now I'm trying to find a way to stop the wolves lol. At least Jake now accepts Bella's choice (it took time!)… and I was thinking about making Bella's transformation different from the rest of the Cullens… after all, she's the first one who choose it… maybe the experience should be less painful for her? –looks at Caitlin- What do you think? Let me know, please!**_


	20. Tension

"Tension"

**EPOV**

I was practically in heaven. The moment Bella's sweet blood rushed through my mouth, I forgot everything else. The taste, the scent, was so hard to ignore. I felt as if I'd been thirsty for ages and, suddenly, I had satiated it. I felt her tremble under my hands, but I didn't stop… and not only because I was too distracted by her blood. I knew that, the more venom in her veins, the quicker the process; I didn't want her to suffer too much. It felt so good to drink her blood… I didn't want to stop…

But my mind worked faster than my instincts. I knew I had to be careful, I knew I couldn't kill her. I tensed, trying to control the monster inside of me, the part of my body that roared at me, that begged me to finish her… but that part was weaker than my love. I stopped, letting go of Bella's beautiful neck. My throat ached when I did it, protesting, but I ignored it. I could feel the strength return to my body. I felt the natural stinging sensation as my bones settled again, as my wounds closed… the pain disappeared immediately. I was healed.

I looked at Bella, and all the peace disappeared. Her eyes were closed, and she was moaning in pain. I felt terrible, like a monster. How had I agreed to this? I grabbed her hand carefully, trying to offer some comfort. She opened her eyes.

"Edward…" she said with effort. I felt like crying.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. It'll be over soon" I said with a cracked voice, and hugged her frail body. She was trembling. My family tensed, and I was forced to remember where we were and who was there with us.

_How dare you! You have chosen! The treaty is broken! ATTACK! _Sam said, furious. But before any of us could say anything, Jacob moved.

_NO! Listen Sam, I don't like this either, but this is what she wants! No one forced her… I love her, and I'm willing to accept her as she wants to be. _Suddenly, I didn't hate Jacob anymore. The boy was showing such a decent mind. But Alphonse growled at him.

_This is not a question of choices! We can't allow them to grow stronger!! They must be destroyed! _He said. My family looked at me, expecting a translation, but I wanted to hear it all before saying something.

_But the Cullens are good! They don't hurt humans… I'm sure there will be no difference with Bella there. _Seth said. Sam growled again, but I could see he doubted. I prayed he understood. Bella moaned again, and Jacob trembled.

"Please… there's no reason for this. She has the right to choose her life" Carlisle said. _Edward, please tell us. _He begged; I noticed he was nervous… as I was. Suddenly, an idea came to my father's mind.

"What if we make another treaty? Just give us four days… if you still consider us a threat, we'll face the consequences, but if you don't… then we all can live in peace" Carlisle offered. I saw as the wolves trembled, and transformed into humans again. Sam approached Carlisle.

"Why should we trust you? You already broke this one…" Sam said. I looked at Jacob and Seth –humans too- their thoughts were kinder. They wanted to accept the offer. The other vampires gasped when they saw them, but Caitlin made a gesture for them to calm down. Her thoughts were so calm and… kind. I felt sorry for her; she'd been forced to be bad despite her nature, just like me.

"There's no point in that! They all deserve to…!" Alphonse started, but Jacob interrupted him.

"Bella doesn't deserve to die! No matter how bad this looks for me, I'm going to protect her choice!" he said. _At least promise you'll take care of her. _He thought looking at me. I nodded, of course.

"In all those years, we've never caused you trouble… please, just give us time to show you we can still coexist" Carlisle said. _Edward? Is he going to accept? _He asked me. I tried to focus on Sam's mind, despite Bella's moans. He seemed confused, still unsure of what to do.

_Maybe, if we accept… the girl was not forced, after all… _That was it. Sam was wise. He sighed, obviously reluctant, and his 'father' opened his eyes widely… he had guessed what he was going to hear.

"Four days… no more. If you can prove you can live peacefully, and that she really wanted this, the treaty will still be on" Sam said.

_NO! you can't do this! They're monsters!!!_ Alphonse's mind was noisy. I was surprised he didn't attack right there. "I disagree" he simply said. Sam looked at him.

"I don't care. I'm the pack leader, I decide" he said. I smiled softly when I saw Alphonse's face… despite his anger, he admired his son's authority… he was proud. Sam made a sign for them to leave. I saw as Paul looked at us with anger, outraged.

_Alphonse is right… you're monsters. _I heard in his mind. Well, I didn't expect to change that view on a single day, but at least they had given us time.

Bella's voice brought me back to reality. She was moving frantically, screaming in agony. I couldn't bear it. I pressed her body closer to mine, whispering her lullaby, trying to show her how much she meant to me. My father approached.

"We should get her inside…" he said. We both tensed when we heard Caitlin approach. I was surprised when I saw pain in her eyes. She was looking at Bella.

"Maybe… maybe I can help" she said. _I've never done it since… but what if it works? _I was confused. She seemed to remember something in her past, but at the same time I heard resolve in her mind. She wanted to help us. I ignored my doubts and caution, if she COULD help, I will force her to.

"How?" I asked, making an effort to sound polite.

"I can control physical pain… maybe I can diminish hers" she said, unsure. I looked at her; could I trust her? But her mind was kind as always, sorrowful… sincere. _I won't hurt her. You saved us, let me return the favor. _She thought. I stood up quickly, with Bella in my arms, and nodded. Caitlin smiled at me.

"And what about the others?" Rosalie asked her. Most of the vampires had gone the moment Azael had died, but five were still there, waiting for Caitlin. I realized they looked at her with respect and love… was she their leader?

"They have nowhere to go right now… they'll leave with me" Caitlin said firmly. I heard the vampires behind us where grateful to her… I read a word in their minds: sister. She was their older sister, the leader of their coven before being controlled by Azael.

"I guess there's no problem with that, as long as they don't hunt here" Carlisle said. The five vampires nodded in agreement. Carlisle gestured towards our home, and Caitlin followed. I was about to join them when Jacob's voice stopped me… he and Seth hadn't turned to see us.

"Can I… come to visit her once…?" he asked, unsure. _Please, I want to try… for her. Maybe she'll still be Bella… _Silly dog. Of course she'll be the same. But, since he was trying to be kinder, I couldn't say that to him.

"Yes, I guess so… as long as you behave" I said. He laughed sarcastically.

"See you later then… Edward" he said. For the first time, he said my name without a disgusting tone. He and Seth walked towards the forest… but this time, we weren't enemies anymore.

**BPOV**

I was in agony. Each part of my body screamed at me, the venom –Edward's venom- poisoning my system. A part of me felt glad, but the rest was yelling and moaning in pain. I was vaguely aware of my surroundings… I heard the wolves' growls, and Edward's voice singing my lullaby… but the pain was too strong. I wished for it to stop, I wished to faint, but nothing happened.

I screamed when I felt someone –Edward?- lifted me, causing a burst of agony run through my body. I heard Edward gasp, and I briefly thought about him… I focused on that thought, to try and forget the burning sensation on my arms, my legs, my body. I was finally going to spend eternity with him, I was going to see him soon. I felt as he placed me gently over something warm and soft, probably the bed in his room. I felt a cold hand on my face, caressing it softly.

"Edward…" it was all I could say, my voice barely a whisper.

"You're going to be fine, Bella. I love you" he said, and placed his lips softly over mine. The pain grew stronger, and I screamed with all my strength. "Caitlin?" I heard Edward say. Caitlin? Wasn't she the vampire who had tortured him? What was she doing here? Suddenly, I felt another hand grab my wrist, pressing it softly, but it was not Edward's. It was smaller.

Then, I felt the pain lessen a bit. It was as if something or someone was keeping it at bay, away from my mind. I sighed in relief as I felt it diminish even more. Now that it was more bearable, I thought about Jacob and the pack. They'd been about to attack, but I was here so that meant they had changed their mind. I wondered why; had they finally understood this was my choice? Had they forgiven the Cullens? I felt an arm around my waist, and a head near my shoulder… I smelled Edward's scent, more strongly than I'd ever smelled it. The pain was there, but it was not as strong as before; I could handle it. I sighed, released from my agony, and smiled slowly.

"Thank you… Caitlin…" I said. I was sure –well, as sure as I could be on my current state- that she was the one helping me. I vaguely thought about the irony of it: I was thanking the vampire who'd caused Edward so much pain… but I was loosing consciousness. I panicked; was this normal? I tensed, and Edward noticed my worries.

"Shhh… it's fine, Bella. Sleep… for the last time…" he said.

I felt Caitlin's hand press mine harder, as if focusing on something. But I was too out of it to care… gladly, I obeyed Edward's order, and lost myself in the darkness.

_**Hard chapter!!! It was hard to stop a battle here, but –as much as my evil side wanted one- I can't make them fight with Bella there, in pain… hope it doesn't sound so bad. My twisted muse is starting to think about Caitlin+a werewolf (as impossible as it sounds :P)**_

_**And I used Caitlin to help poor Bella… maybe some of you didn't like that, but I felt the poor girl deserved a different transformation. She's suffered a lot, and chose to be changed, so why not make it more bearable for her? Just my opinion, though, you can disagree ;).**_

_**Some of you asked about Caitlin's gift, so here it is: she can control physical pain (unlike Jane, who just creates an illusion), her gift is physical like Jasper's, and she can only cause pain through a wound or a scar, while she doesn't need anything to diminish it (except a lot of concentration and energy… poor girl :P) if you have questions, just ask ;) **_

_**Hope you liked this!! **_


	21. Desire

"Desire"

**BPOV**

I awoke slowly, a sweet scent filling my senses. I opened my eyes, and found the most beautiful sight in the world: Edward was there, lying next to me. His beautiful face was merely inches away from mine, and he was smiling at me. It took me a moment to realize that he was holding my hand, and that –strangely- his touch was warm. I opened my eyes widely, finally understanding what was happening, what I was now.

"Hello, Bella" Edward said to me with his beautiful velvet voice. Thanks to my new vampire hearing, it seemed even more charming to me.

"Edward" I said, sitting on the bed. He became serious, and studied my face intently.

"How do you feel?" he asked, worried. I smiled at him; I've never felt better.

"Great. Is that normal?" I said to him. He chuckled. I looked at my surroundings with my new eyes: it all seemed clearer, more detailed… and the feeling of Edward's hand in mine was certainly much better than before. Suddenly, I remembered the situation we'd been in before my transformation, and gasped.

"Edward! What about Jacob? And Azael? And…?" I said to him, frantic. He put a finger over my mouth –I couldn't believe his touch felt even better than before-.

"It's all fine. Jasper and I set fire to his body. Jacob is recovering from his wounds…" he said, stopping abruptly. I noticed the sadness on his voice; he felt guilty… I couldn't bear that. I caressed his face.

"It was not your fault, Edward. Azael forced you… no one blames you. I love you" I said. He smiled at me, and kissed the hand caressing him.

"Thank you, Bella… for all" he said. I felt like crying; he was there, with me again. But of course, I couldn't cry anymore. The memories of those three days of pain made me remember something: the soft hand touching my wrist, the way the pain lessened constantly… it had not been as horrible as I had thought. I noticed Edward was looking at me, curious.

"What are you thinking, love?" he asked me. I heard a small trace of doubt there.

"Nothing, it's just that… sometimes, I felt as if something or someone was keeping the pain away…" I said. He smiled again.

"We gained a new ally… Caitlin helped you. She came here often, and diminished the pain for you" he said. Caitlin? Of course, she could control pain… I felt grateful.

"I'd like to thank her" I said.

"You'll have time for that… she's still here" he said. He kept staring at me with those beautiful eyes of his –I shuddered slightly at the red tone in them-… and I was glad I couldn't blush anymore.

"What?" I asked finally, and he laughed softly.

"You are so beautiful… I can't believe I'm so lucky" he said. Funny, those were MY thoughts; wait a second: he couldn't read them now, could he?

"Those are my lines! You aren't stealing them from my head, are you?" I asked. He laughed even more.

"No, I still can't read your mind" he said. I sighed in relief. I realized he had a small mirror near his hand. "It's for you… I thought you'll want to see your face" he said. Well, he was right. I took the mirror, and looked with awe.

I was beautiful. I still could recognize my "human" features, but the pale skin made a perfect contrast with my hair, making me look incredibly gorgeous. I felt a little apprehensive when I saw my red eyes, but I calmed down; they would be golden in a short time. I touched my face, amazed by my own beauty… until I saw Edward's angelic face near me. He was still incredibly handsome.

"So… how do I look?" I asked him. He winked at me.

"Incredibly gorgeous" he said. We both laughed softly. I stood up, more quickly than I'd ever been able to, and stretched a little. It felt good, the sensation of power and strength flowing within me… I remembered it was not the only thing flowing inside my body. Edward's venom was inside me, running through my body; finally, I was HIS. Again, I was grateful to be a vampire.

"Something wrong?" he asked. He still could read my face.

"No… just thinking" I said nervously. He seemed to guess.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't keep that promise… we didn't get the chance to try" he said. But as long as he was with me forever, I didn't care. Before I could say that, he approached me and, grabbing my face with his hands, kissed me. It was as if he'd never kissed me before… there was no more caution, no more restrain. I felt his lips pressing hard against mines, his tongue tracing its line; I answered him willingly, kissing him as I'd never been allowed before. Another advantage of being a vampire: I could remain there for hours without air.

"That was… great" I said, breathing heavily.

"I totally agree…" he said.

"Well, we never had a honeymoon after all" I said to him. I wondered if we were alone in the house, but I didn't care anymore. I wanted Edward, here and now. He understood.

"You're right love… but maybe you should wait, aren't you hungry?" he said, and kissed me again.

"No… at least, not like that…" I said between kisses. I realized we had moved towards the bed again. I started unbuttoning his shirt, this time without difficulty thanks to my new strength. He sighed.

"But you've just awoken…" he said, but I could feel he was as anxious as I was.

"I've waited for a long time… I can't wait anymore… I want you" I said, whispering. When I felt his hands undoing the buttons of MY blouse, I knew I'd won.

"Well, we never had a honeymoon, after all…" he murmured in my ear, echoing my words.

I doubted I could describe that moment with justice. It was as if the world had disappeared; all that mattered was Edward, only him. I felt his hands over my body, caressing it when he kissed me… the touch sent shivers to my body. I caressed him too, my new senses filled with his scent. I touched his chest with my hands, tracing his perfect muscles… I realized with pleasure the scar was gone, his skin was as soft and white as always, and I felt happy. I moaned his name in pleasure, and he murmured he loved me each passing second. I cared about nothing, thought about nothing, except him… it was such an extraordinary experience. My enhanced senses allowed me to feel his body, to be more aware of his marble skin touching mine, of his soft lips kissing me, of his hair on my hands or my body… I lost track of time, too dazzled by the moment. I wondered briefly if it was the same for humans, if they felt their skin burn with desire as I did.

Hours later, we were both lying on the bed, just looking into each other's eyes. Edward had his arms around me, while I caressed his face… I still couldn't believe he was mine. He sighed in pleasure at my touch.

"That was… incredible" I said, unable to contain my thoughts.

"Again, love… I totally agree with you" he said, caressing my back. "But I guess we'll have to clean up this mess" he added, chuckling. I looked at the room, confused. It was, as he had put it, a real mess. The couch was totally ragged, the CDs scattered all around the floor, along with our clothes… I noticed even the soft blanket covering us was somewhat… slashed? I laughed nervously.

"We did all this?" I asked, ashamed.

"I'm afraid we did" he said, but he didn't seem to regret it.

"I'm glad I can't blush anymore…" I said. He laughed.

"Yeah… I'm going to miss that" he admitted. Suddenly, something occurred to me.

"Edward… do you think I'll have a gift?" I asked. I felt normal. He shrugged slowly.

"I don't know… only time will tell. I don't care" he answered. I kissed him softly. He answered immediately.

"Not that I mind doing this all day but… are you sure you aren't hungry?" he asked me between kisses.

"Nope" I said. Actually, I felt a strange sensation on my throat, like burning, but I didn't care. As long as I was with Edward, nothing else mattered. I stopped reluctantly when I heard the rest of my family talking downstairs. I was amazed; now I could hear their voices clearly, as if they were next to me. Edward noticed and laughed again… I loved to see him this happy.

"You'll get used to it. We better go down. They want to see you" he said, and stood up. I grimaced at that, but followed him. I was sure my family was anxious to see me. We dressed up quickly, and walked down the stairs hand in hand.

The Cullens were in the living room. I looked at them with my new eyes, and found them beautiful. When they saw me, Alice rushed to my side; for the first time, I could actually see her approach. She hugged me tightly, without caution… now there was no risk.

"Hi, Bella! You look great!" she said to me.

"Hi, Alice" I answered. Jasper approached me and, for the first time since I knew him, hugged me.

"Welcome to the family" he said, smiling. I felt like crying –again-. Emmett and Rosalie approached next, and he gave me a hug so tight he would have broken a human's bones.

"Hey, Bella! Glad to see you again!" he said to me, as effusive as always.

"Thank you, Emmett" I said, but I was looking at Rosalie. She stared at me, but not with hate… with understanding. I approached her, glad to notice I didn't trip anymore. She –surprisingly- hugged me too.

"Rosalie…?" I said, shocked. She smiled at me.

"I didn't know you loved my brother so much… I'm so sorry for being mean to you, but I understand now. You saved him, you were willing to give your life for him… that's real love. I'm glad to have someone as good as you as my sister" she said. I felt so touched; I knew this was hard for her –after all, she'd been against this all along- but she now understood that I couldn't live without Edward, and I had chosen to be with him, forever.

Esme and Carlisle were next, and she hugged me too while he smiled at me.

"Thank you so much, Bella. You've done so much for us" she said.

"No, Esme… it is I who should be thanking you. You always protected me, and love me" I said to her. Carlisle cleared his throat to get our attention; I realized he was now my leader too, but of course I didn't mind that. He was my father-in-law.

"What if we go out and show Bella how to hunt?" he said, smiling at me. The idea sounded scary, but my instinct told me I was hungry too. I nodded, a little unsure; I felt Edward's hand in mine.

"Don't worry, love. It's not so bad. I can hunt for you" he added at the end, wrinkling at me. I laughed softly.

"No… I want to learn. To be as strong as you are" I said. Emmett laughed near us.

"Well, that sounds good… remember you owe me a pulse" he said.

We were still laughing when we went out. Finally, my life was perfect.

_**More fluff to compensate all the angst :P. I had some troubles with the intimate scene… I wanted something simple, not too obvious, but romantic too; hope it worked. **_

_**And my muse is insisting on wolfXCaitlin pairing (who, by the way, is out hunting too… that's why she's not here :P) so weird… Let me know your opinion and ideas (I've been thinking on JakeXLeah too… but I'll have to find a way to ignore the "imprint" thingie…)**_

_**And sorry about typos, I didn't get an editor for this one… hope you don't mind!**_

_**Thank you all for reading and/or reviewing!!!**_

_**Me loves u!**_


	22. Desire 2

"Desire"

**BPOV**

I awoke slowly, a sweet scent filling my senses. I opened my eyes, and found the most beautiful sight in the world: Edward was there, lying next to me. His beautiful face was merely inches away from mine, and he was smiling at me. It took me a moment to realize that he was holding my hand, and that –strangely- his touch was warm. I opened my eyes widely, finally understanding what was happening, what I was now.

"Hello, Bella" Edward said to me with his beautiful velvet voice. Thanks to my new vampire hearing, it seemed even more charming to me.

"Edward" I said, sitting on the bed. He became serious, and studied my face intently.

"How do you feel?" he asked, worried. I smiled at him; I've never felt better.

"Great. Is that normal?" I said to him. He chuckled. I looked at my surroundings with my new eyes: it all seemed clearer, more detailed… and the feeling of Edward's hand in mine was certainly much better than before. Suddenly, I remembered the situation we'd been in before my transformation, and gasped.

"Edward! What about Jacob? And Azael? And…?" I said to him, frantic. He put a finger over my mouth –I couldn't believe his touch felt even better than before-.

"It's all fine. Jasper and I set fire to his body. Jacob is recovering from his wounds…" he said, stopping abruptly. I noticed the sadness on his voice; he felt guilty… I couldn't bear that. I caressed his face.

"It was not your fault, Edward. Azael forced you… no one blames you. I love you" I said. He smiled at me, and kissed the hand caressing him.

"Thank you, Bella… for all" he said. I felt like crying; he was there, with me again. But of course, I couldn't cry anymore. The memories of those three days of pain made me remember something: the soft hand touching my wrist, the way the pain lessened constantly… it had not been as horrible as I had thought. I noticed Edward was looking at me, curious.

"What are you thinking, love?" he asked me. I heard a small trace of doubt there.

"Nothing, it's just that… sometimes, I felt as if something or someone was keeping the pain away…" I said. He smiled again.

"We gained a new ally… Caitlin helped you. She came here often, and diminished the pain for you" he said. Caitlin? Of course, she could control pain… I felt grateful.

"I'd like to thank her" I said.

"You'll have time for that… she's still here" he said. He kept staring at me with those beautiful eyes of his –I shuddered slightly at the red tone in them-… and I was glad I couldn't blush anymore.

"What?" I asked finally, and he laughed softly.

"You are so beautiful… I can't believe I'm so lucky" he said. Funny, those were MY thoughts; wait a second: he couldn't read them now, could he?

"Those are my lines! You aren't stealing them from my head, are you?" I asked. He laughed even more.

"No, I still can't read your mind" he said. I sighed in relief. I realized he had a small mirror near his hand. "It's for you… I thought you'll want to see your face" he said. Well, he was right. I took the mirror, and looked with awe.

I was beautiful. I still could recognize my "human" features, but the pale skin made a perfect contrast with my hair, making me look incredibly gorgeous. I felt a little apprehensive when I saw my red eyes, but I calmed down; they would be golden in a short time. I touched my face, amazed by my own beauty… until I saw Edward's angelic face near me. He was still incredibly handsome.

"So… how do I look?" I asked him. He winked at me.

"Incredibly gorgeous" he said. We both laughed softly. I stood up, more quickly than I'd ever been able to, and stretched a little. It felt good, the sensation of power and strength flowing within me… I remembered it was not the only thing flowing inside my body. Edward's venom was inside me, running through my body; finally, I was HIS. Again, I was grateful to be a vampire.

"Something wrong?" he asked. He still could read my face.

"No… just thinking" I said nervously. He seemed to guess.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't keep that promise… we didn't get the chance to try" he said. But as long as he was with me forever, I didn't care. Before I could say that, he approached me and, grabbing my face with his hands, kissed me. It was as if he'd never kissed me before… there was no more caution, no more restrain. I felt his lips pressing hard against mines, his tongue tracing its line; I answered him willingly, kissing him as I'd never been allowed before. Another advantage of being a vampire: I could remain there for hours without air.

"That was… great" I said, breathing heavily.

"I totally agree…" he said.

"Well, we never had a honeymoon after all" I said to him. I wondered if we were alone in the house, but I didn't care anymore. I wanted Edward, here and now. He understood.

"You're right love… but maybe you should wait, aren't you hungry?" he said, and kissed me again.

"No… at least, not like that…" I said between kisses. I realized we had moved towards the bed again. I started unbuttoning his shirt, this time without difficulty thanks to my new strength. He sighed.

"But you've just awoken…" he said, but I could feel he was as anxious as I was.

"I've waited for a long time… I can't wait anymore… I want you" I said, whispering. When I felt his hands undoing the buttons of MY blouse, I knew I'd won.

"Well, we never had a honeymoon, after all…" he murmured in my ear, echoing my words.

I doubted I could describe that moment with justice. It was as if the world had disappeared; all that mattered was Edward, only him. I felt his hands over my body, caressing it when he kissed me… the touch sent shivers to my body. I caressed him too, my new senses filled with his scent. I touched his chest with my hands, tracing his perfect muscles… I realized with pleasure the scar was gone, his skin was as soft and white as always, and I felt happy. I moaned his name in pleasure, and he murmured he loved me each passing second. I cared about nothing, thought about nothing, except him… it was such an extraordinary experience. My enhanced senses allowed me to feel his body, to be more aware of his marble skin touching mine, of his soft lips kissing me, of his hair on my hands or my body… I lost track of time, too dazzled by the moment. I wondered briefly if it was the same for humans, if they felt their skin burn with desire as I did.

Hours later, we were both lying on the bed, just looking into each other's eyes. Edward had his arms around me, while I caressed his face… I still couldn't believe he was mine. He sighed in pleasure at my touch.

"That was… incredible" I said, unable to contain my thoughts.

"Again, love… I totally agree with you" he said, caressing my back. "But I guess we'll have to clean up this mess" he added, chuckling. I looked at the room, confused. It was, as he had put it, a real mess. The couch was totally ragged, the CDs scattered all around the floor, along with our clothes… I noticed even the soft blanket covering us was somewhat… slashed? I laughed nervously.

"We did all this?" I asked, ashamed.

"I'm afraid we did" he said, but he didn't seem to regret it.

"I'm glad I can't blush anymore…" I said. He laughed.

"Yeah… I'm going to miss that" he admitted. Suddenly, something occurred to me.

"Edward… do you think I'll have a gift?" I asked. I felt normal. He shrugged slowly.

"I don't know… only time will tell. I don't care" he answered. I kissed him softly. He answered immediately.

"Not that I mind doing this all day but… are you sure you aren't hungry?" he asked me between kisses.

"Nope" I said. Actually, I felt a strange sensation on my throat, like burning, but I didn't care. As long as I was with Edward, nothing else mattered. I stopped reluctantly when I heard the rest of my family talking downstairs. I was amazed; now I could hear their voices clearly, as if they were next to me. Edward noticed and laughed again… I loved to see him this happy.

"You'll get used to it. We better go down. They want to see you" he said, and stood up. I grimaced at that, but followed him. I was sure my family was anxious to see me. We dressed up quickly, and walked down the stairs hand in hand.

The Cullens were in the living room. I looked at them with my new eyes, and found them beautiful. When they saw me, Alice rushed to my side; for the first time, I could actually see her approach. She hugged me tightly, without caution… now there was no risk.

"Hi, Bella! You look great!" she said to me.

"Hi, Alice" I answered. Jasper approached me and, for the first time since I knew him, hugged me.

"Welcome to the family" he said, smiling. I felt like crying –again-. Emmett and Rosalie approached next, and he gave me a hug so tight he would have broken a human's bones.

"Hey, Bella! Glad to see you again!" he said to me, as effusive as always.

"Thank you, Emmett" I said, but I was looking at Rosalie. She stared at me, but not with hate… with understanding. I approached her, glad to notice I didn't trip anymore. She –surprisingly- hugged me too.

"Rosalie…?" I said, shocked. She smiled at me.

"I didn't know you loved my brother so much… I'm so sorry for being mean to you, but I understand now. You saved him, you were willing to give your life for him… that's real love. I'm glad to have someone as good as you as my sister" she said. I felt so touched; I knew this was hard for her –after all, she'd been against this all along- but she now understood that I couldn't live without Edward, and I had chosen to be with him, forever.

Esme and Carlisle were next, and she hugged me too while he smiled at me.

"Thank you so much, Bella. You've done so much for us" she said.

"No, Esme… it is I who should be thanking you. You always protected me, and love me" I said to her. Carlisle cleared his throat to get our attention; I realized he was now my leader too, but of course I didn't mind that. He was my father-in-law.

"What if we go out and show Bella how to hunt?" he said, smiling at me. The idea sounded scary, but my instinct told me I was hungry too. I nodded, a little unsure; I felt Edward's hand in mine.

"Don't worry, love. It's not so bad. I can hunt for you" he added at the end, wrinkling at me. I laughed softly.

"No… I want to learn. To be as strong as you are" I said. Emmett laughed near us.

"Well, that sounds good… remember you owe me a pulse" he said.

We were still laughing when we went out. Finally, my life was perfect.

_**More fluff to compensate all the angst :P. I had some troubles with the intimate scene… I wanted something simple, not too obvious, but romantic too; hope it worked. **_

_**And my muse is insisting on wolfXCaitlin pairing (who, by the way, is out hunting too… that's why she's not here :P) so weird… Let me know your opinion and ideas (I've been thinking on JakeXLeah too… but I'll have to find a way to ignore the "imprint" thingie…)**_

_**And sorry about typos, I didn't get an editor for this one… hope you don't mind!**_

_**Thank you all for reading and/or reviewing!!!**_

_**Me loves u!**_


	23. Friends

"Friends"

**BPOV**

I ran through the forest with my family. It was amazing, a hundred times better than any car. The feeling of the air on my hair, the freedom… now I understood why Edward liked it so much. Suddenly, my nose filled with a scent I didn't recognize… but I felt tense, hungry. Edward –who was still faster than me- came closer to me.

"Did you notice it?" he asked me.

"Yes… what is it?" I asked him. He smiled my favorite crooked smiled, and signaled to the front.

"A deer" he said. I looked at him with shock and then turned to the front. I saw it, the small creature not too far away from us, but oblivious to our presence. I was a little scared; a part of me was ready to strike, but another one was unsure if I could do it. Edward placed a comforting hand in my shoulder.

"Don't be scared… if you don't feel ready, I can do it for you" he said. I shook my head.

"No… I have to do this. It's just that I don't think I can… I don't know how" I answered. I didn't want to tell him that I felt scared at the idea of killing a living creature too… he'll feel sad. However, he seemed to guess my thoughts.

"Easy, Bella… don't be scared. We all had the same fears at first but, after all, humans eat living creatures too. About your capacity… well, just let your body and your instinct guide you" Edward said. I sighed, resolved, and charged towards the animal.

It all happened so quickly. Before I noticed it, I was over it, my mouth pressed against its throat. Now I understood what Edward had said about instincts… it was as if my body knew how to do it before starting. The taste was amazingly good; as a human, I'd felt really bad anywhere near blood, but now the taste filled my mouth, my senses, and gave me strength. It was appealing to me. I tried not to think about the deer, as Edward had instructed before, focusing only in the wonderful feeling of the blood filling my system. When I finished, I stood up slowly, feeling more alive than ever –how ironic-. Edward and the others approached to me, but stopped abruptly.

I felt another scent in the air. Stronger, sweeter than the deer. I looked at Edward with shock when I realized what it was: a human scent. Was this what he'd been fighting all along? Was this what he'd endured to be with me? I felt so sorry for him… it was practically irresistible; it was calling me, as if begging me to go and take it. I felt my new body tense and my throat ache fiercely as if it was on fire.

"Bella?" Edward said, hesitant. Carlisle grabbed my arm with his hand.

"Control it, Bella… I know you can" he instructed. I was fighting now; my instinct told me to go for it, but my mind screamed at me to stop. Alice approached to.

"As I said to Jasper once, it's easier if you think of them as people… I know this scent; the boy's name is Ernest. He studied English with me… he comes here often with his family" Alice said. Jasper sighed behind her, as if doubting it will work… but it did.

I thought about the boy, saw it in my head. I imagined his face and his family, playing and chatting there without realizing we were here. The thought helped a lot; my thirst diminished, and I could control it. I sighed in relief, until I noticed the shocked stares from my family, and the proud looks on Carlisle's and Edward's eyes.

**EPOV**

I didn't remember being this happy before. Now that Bella was with me (forever) I felt complete, joyful… I couldn't describe it with words.

I looked with certain caution as Bella hunted her first prey, and felt a little scared when I saw her charge at the deer, kill it and drink its blood. But I forgot my worries; this is what she wanted, and was certainly stronger than we thought. I'd feel terrified when I smelled the humans nearby, fearing for Bella's control. But, instead of going frantic for human blood, she had remained in the forest with us. I felt so proud of her… she had a lot of self control. Bella looked at us with expectation.

_I think you've created a monster, bro. _"Amazing Bella!" he said. I couldn't resist laughing at his mental remark.

"What?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow. It was a relief to see her act so normal, so… _Bella-like_. It seemed she was really happy with her new condition.

"Nothing… Emmett's thoughts are funny" I said. Emmett hit me playfully with his elbow.

"See? I told you it works" Alice said. _I knew she was strong! _She was right: my Bella was strong.

"Amazing. I've never seen such control before… you're truly talented, Bella" Carlisle said. She seemed embarrassed.

"Thank you, Carlisle" she answered shyly, but was looking at me. I nodded at her in support.

_Now I'm envious… _Jasper thought. I laughed again at his words. He shouldn't be though; after all, he'd had a difficult life before meeting us. Bella approached me, and I hugged her softly, enjoying her presence.

"Well, it was not so bad… I guess" she said, looking at me. I could see that her eyes were already turning yellow. Thank god for that. I kissed her softly.

"You did great, love. I think you put us all to shame" I said. Emmett laughed, but Jasper seemed a little exasperated. Alice noticed it.

_Fool. _"Don't be angry, Jaz. You're better at other things" she said with a playful tone. He laughed nervously when he realized what she was implying.

_My God! I didn't want to hear that! _Emmett thought, but he was laughing.

_I doubt he's better than Emmett. _Rosalie thought, and turned in embarrassment when she noticed her own thoughts –and realized I'd heard them-.

"Alright, what if we go home?" Esme said, obviously trying to change the subject. Carlisle laughed.

_What a strange topic… _"I agree" he said, still laughing. We walked towards our home, not worrying about time. When we were alone, Bella murmured on my ear.

"I doubt he's better than you" she said, and laughed when I cleared my throat, uncomfortable. But her laugh was contagious, and I joined her immediately. She was already inside the house when I heard a familiar mind… for a moment, I wished it was Caitlin, but it was a masculine mind. I closed the door, and walked to meet Jacob Black.

"Hello, Jacob" I said, trying to be polite despite knowing it was a lost battle. Jacob never returned the courtesy… until now.

"Hi… um… Edward" _Please don't say anything… it's quite embarrassing without a comment. _He was trying, though, and I appreciated that.

"So… what brings you to my house?" I asked. He scratched his head, uncomfortable. How funny; it was easier when we were at each other's throats.

_Err… Bella? _"Actually, I wanted to talk to you" he said. As always, his thoughts and his words were opposite.

"Of course" I said, nodding for him to continue. He doubted a little.

"You see… when you, um, were with Azael…" he started. I tensed at the name, but he continued. "I saw Bella. She was devastated; it was even worse than when you left before…" Yeah, he HAD to remind me of that.

"I know. Maybe you don't believe me, but I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused… for the wounds I gave you and Sam" I said, apologizing. I hoped he didn't notice I had excluded Alphonse. I didn't regret those wounds, to be honest.

_Are you apologizing? _"Well, um, apology accepted. But that's not what I wanted. You see… those days, when I saw her like that, I realized that she loves you deeply. I want her to be happy… Edward, I really do. And I saw that YOU are her happiness. I admit I didn't like how things turned out but, well, I wondered if –after all- we could start again. You know, be friends" he said. _After all, you're not as bad as I thought… Seth was right. _His words touched me deeply. Not even on my weirdest thoughts had I imagined he'd end up trying to be friends with me.

"Are you serious?" I asked. He looked elsewhere, ashamed.

_What? Are you in shock? You thought I was an idiot boy, right? _"Well, yeah. For Bella, I'm willing to try and be friends with you… and with her again" he said. I smiled at him, this time kindly, and he seemed even more shocked. He smiled too, a little unsure.

"I didn't know you could smile like that… you almost look human" Jacob said, trying to annoy me I guess. I sighed.

"The same goes to you, Jacob. I think I've never seen you smile before" I said.

_Not to you, at least. Yesh! This is weird. _He thought. I laughed softly.

"I agree" I said. He looked at me, annoyed.

"I hate that" he said. _Don't you get tired of reading others' minds?_

"Sometimes, yes. But it's useful" I answered honestly. He rolled his eyes. I stretched my hand to him, doubtful. He looked at it, deciding if he should or shouldn't accept it. He slowly raised his hand to reach mine, until he finally took it. I felt worried, for I knew he despised the coldness of it, but he didn't say a thing. Even his thoughts were calmer… it seemed he was now at peace. Suddenly though, the moment was interrupted.

"Jacob!" Bella screamed. I noticed she was scared; apparently, she thought we were fighting again, but what happened next shocked us both.

Jacob released my hand, ashamed, and tried to push me slowly away. The moment he tried it, an unseen force pushed him away, as if his hand had crashed with an invisible wall. He looked at me, shocked. I shook my head to let him know I'd done nothing. He tried to push me again, this time a little harder, throwing his body against me… and he fell to the ground. I looked at him with curiosity, what was happening here? Until I heard Bella gasp in surprise. The rest of my family was there with her, looking at me and Jacob, then at Bella; I understood.

We had discovered Bella's gift.

_**Another chappiee!!! :P I don't know what to think about this one… I wanted Jacob to choose being nicer to Edward, and wanted him to understand clearly where Bella's happiness is, but I don't know if I did it right /sigh/.**_

_**And finally, Bella's gift. I wanted something that showed her strong will to protect others, and came up with a barrier lol. Hope it sounds coherent enough (for those who've read BD… you know the similarities ;))**_

_**Originally, this was all in Edward's POV, but I couldn't resist describing the hunt from Bella's (after all, it's a new experience for her). By the way, the 'intimate topic' there came out practically alone… weird, but I must admit it was funny to write :P**_

_**Hope you liked this! We're close to the end (So SAAAAD!!! T-T) maybe I'll do more stories on this same, um, timeline? But I need ideas (if you have any, just share!!).**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**PS: I still can't find my editor, so this is full of mistakes too :P forgive meee!!! (see it positive: you can read now ;))**_


	24. Destiny

"Destiny"

**EPOV**

I could see Bella was as shocked as we were. I knew there was a high probability that Bella had a special gift, considering her unusual talent for keeping others out of her mind, but it was surprising to see it in action. Jacob kept staring at me, waiting for an explanation I probably couldn't give.

_What the heck was that?? _He asked mentally. I tried not to laugh at the tone in his thoughts.

"Well… I guess that was Bella's new gift" I answered him, still in awe. He glared at me; I had forgotten he didn't like when I used my gift on him.

"Don't do that" he said. I shrugged, trying to show confidence. I didn't want to fight again, not after our little peace treaty.

"I can't avoid it. It's not conscious" I said. It was not necessary to confess I could block it if I wanted… I was too curious about his thoughts to ignore them, but he didn't need to know that, right?

Suddenly, I heard another mind approaching. I tensed, but soon I heard Seth's thoughts. He was obviously amused at the sight in front of him. I looked the image in his mind, and didn't blame him: Jacob and I had a confused face that was definitively funny to him.

_I'd never seen Edward look like that. I wonder what happened. _"Hi, guys!" he said, cheerfully. I nodded to him.

"Hi, Seth" I said to him. Jacob was looking at him with curiosity.

"What are you doing here, Seth? I thought you were busy" Jacob asked. It was obvious he didn't want Seth near when he was about to talk with Bella. Seth shrugged.

"Sam told me you were here and… I thought I could come too" _to stop you from fighting Edward again… I never thought you had such self control. _I had to suppress a laugh again. Seth knew Jacob very well. To be honest, even _I_ was surprised he had come to talk instead of fight against me. Weird. Jacob sighed; he didn't believe Seth's words.

"Alright, then… you can come in if you want" I said. We walked quickly towards my house, and I saw as Jacob passed Bella with a mixture of curiosity and sorrow. She was still somewhat confused, so I winked at her, smiling.

"Edward? What…?" she started, but stopped when she saw me. I smiled even more.

"It seems you have found your gift, love" I said, unable to control my amused tone. She looked at me wide-eyed.

"You mean… I did that to Jake?" she asked. I nodded.

"I guess Carlisle can explain it… Jacob is curious too" I said. Of course, I was reluctant about that last part; if Jacob knew of Bella's gift, the whole pack would know too, and that could be dangerous. I knew Sam was still unsure about us, and I knew that Alphonse –that impulsive hunter- was with him, filling his head with ideas I probably didn't want to hear… but if we wanted their trust, we had to give some too. I took Bella's hand, and we both walked towards the living room, where my family waited.

**BPOV**

I couldn't believe Edward's words. Had I really done that? While we walked, I remembered how it had started.

The moment I had seen Jacob and Edward, face to face in front of the house, I had panicked. I had thought they were fighting again. I remembered wishing with all my heart to stop them, to protect Edward, and then… I felt as if a part of me was suddenly connected to his mind, shielding it from any harm. Was that my gift? Had I –unconsciously- created a barrier in front of him? That was so weird. But I forgot everything, when I entered the room.

Jacob and Seth were there, waiting for me. The moment I entered, I felt their scent with such strength I almost gasped. To be honest, it was not as disgusting as Edward and the others had said; it was different, not a sweet perfume (like Edward's) but more natural, like the forest, like the rain… but too strong for my sensitive nose to bear. Second, I smelled their blood: so sweet, so _tempting_. I tensed, trying to control my thirst. I looked at Edward, feeling more love than ever for him… was this what he'd been forced to endure all this time? Did he feel the pain in his throat each time I hugged him? Well, if he'd been capable of it, I could do it too. I felt Edward's hand press mine gently, giving me support. I relaxed a bit… the feeling diminished. I realized then that Jacob was staring at me, sitting on the couch. I sat in the loveseat near him, with Edward at my side.

"Hi, Jake" I said, unsure. I didn't know if he'd come to say goodbye. He sighed.

"Hi, Bella…" he said, almost whispering my name. At his side, Seth smiled kindly at me.

"I thought you wouldn't want to see me" I said, sadness in my tone. That had been painful, but I had to tell him. He smiled sadly.

"Well, it's not as bad as I'd thought… I can get used to the smell" he said. I saw as the Cullens rolled their eyes. Alice laughed sarcastically.

"We have to get used too, you know?" she said. Edward gave her a reproachful look.

"So… are you happy?" Jake asked. The answer was obvious, but I didn't want to hurt him.

"Yeah… this is what I wanted. But I'd be even more happy if we could be friends again" I said without thinking. He looked at me, and there was no sadness anymore… but conviction.

"Well… that is exactly what I came for. Look, Bella, I know I've been quite stubborn with you. I… I'm really sorry for hurting you, but now I understand. I want you to be happy; if this is the path you've chosen, I won't interfere" Jacob said.

"Jake, I…" I said, unable to comfort him. He made a signal for me to stop.

"What I mean is… what if we, you know, start all over again? You think we can still be… friends?" He asked, doubtful. I watched at him, surprised.

"I thought you… you didn't like the Cullens" I said, still shocked. He shrugged.

"To be honest, I don't… but Seth's right: they're not as bad as other vampires. Maybe, with time, I can like them too" Jacob said. I heard Edward sigh in exasperation beside me, and saw as Emmett looked at Jake, a little outraged.

"You talk as if we were a disgusting plague" Emmett said.

"Remember you're not the only one who has to 'get used' to that idea" Rosalie said. Jacob laughed sarcastically.

"Will you do that?" I asked. He nodded.

"We were good friends, right? We must learn to accept each other as we are, don't you think?" Jake said. He offered me his hand, and I gladly took it. I was surprised to see Edward wasn't even jealous of that.

"It was not so hard, right, Jacob?" Edward said.

"I guess not… until now" he answered. I felt so happy; this was the first time I heard them speak fluently to each other, without any hidden threat or hate. They were truly starting to be kind. I was sure I'd be crying if I could.

"Wise words, young Jacob" Carlisle said. Jacob grimaced a little at the word 'young'. "But tell me, is that all you came to say? Your leader hasn't decided?" he asked. Both Jacob and Seth jumped a little, as if remembering something.

"Actually, Sam's been quite tolerant. He expected to see a massacre soon but, since you seem to be behaving, he plans to preserve the treaty" Seth said, smiling. I felt a little angry at Sam… did he really thought so low of me?

"Well, that's a relief" Esme said, but it was obvious Seth hadn't finished talking.

"Can you tell me what happened before? When I arrived?" Seth asked. So he was curious. Edward laughed beside me, but it was Carlisle who answered.

"Well, it seems Bella has a gift" he said. Seth looked confused.

"You mean, like Edward?" he asked.

"More or less. For what I've seen, she can protect others creating a barrier… that's why Jacob couldn't touch Edward before" Carlisle explained. Maybe I should be scared, but I was glad: finally, I had the power to help them, to protect my family and friends.

"But how does it work?" Jasper asked, curious.

"We can't know exactly… we'll have to practice with it, Bella" Carlisle said to me. I nodded, feeling Edward's hands in mine. I couldn't resist the urge to turn and kiss him; he chuckled.

"So… can I come visit you?" Jacob asked, obviously trying to ruin the moment.

"Of course, Jake! Well, if you don't mind" I said to my family. They all smiled.

"Well, we can handle it… I guess" Emmett said.

"It's fine with me" Carlisle agreed.

"You don't have to ask. This is your house" Edward said to me. I saw as the rest nodded in agreement.

"Though we'll have to get used to the dog smell in our house" Alice said. I didn't know if she was kidding. Jacob smiled sarcastically at her.

"And I'll have to get used to the vampire smell in my clothes…" he said, and stopped abruptly, looking at the front. Caitlin had just arrived; I heard her enter the house and walk towards us. When Jacob saw her, he stood up quickly.

"YOU!" he roared at her. Caitlin remained unmoving.

"Please, Jake! She's not bad!" I said to him.

"She's not BAD? She was with that other vampire! She attacked me and…" he said, but stopped again. He turned towards Seth with a look of plain shock. At my side, Edward tensed too, but he seemed more curious than fearful… the Cullens were as clueless as I was about it all, until I looked at Seth.

He was staring at Caitlin, in a way I've never seen before. I understood, but couldn't believe it. Had he really… imprinted on a vampire?

**EPOV**

I was having a lot of fun today.

The moment Caitlin arrived, Seth's thoughts changed drastically. It was as if he'd been lost and, suddenly, had found his way. He kept staring at Caitlin with awe and, strangely enough, _adoration_. Bella had explained this to me, but I wasn't prepared to see it, to feel it through Seth's mind.

_She's… she's… _He kept repeating. Jacob looked at him, shocked.

_You can't! she's a vampire! How can it be?! _Apparently, he was as confused as I was about it. We were supposed to be natural enemies… how could Seth imprint on Caitlin? Well, considering Seth's nature (and his abnormal friendship with us) I shouldn't be that surprised.

_Why is he staring __at me like that? Did I do something wrong? Well, at least he's cute… what am I thinking?! _Funny, Caitlin liked Seth too. Strange, but comforting. I knew Seth deserved a good woman and, despite their differences, she was kind. If they ended up together, they'll make a strangely good couple. I felt someone grab my arm, trying to get my attention. I looked at Bella's shocked eyes, and I nodded at her unasked question.

"Seth… has imprinted on Caitlin?" she asked. Both Jacob and I nodded.

This was destiny.

_**SO unusual!!! At first, I'd thought about Jacob imprinting on her but, when I thought about it, Seth's more suited. He's more kind towards good vampires (the Cullens) while Jake is still prejudiced… **__**besides, I'm still trying for a JakexLeah… hope it doesn't sound ridiculous!**_

_**About Bella's gift… I wanted to make something similar to the original one, so I put this one. Here, her barrier is more "physical" (don't ask how… I'm still trying to come up with a coherent explanation). I think it has to be like that: Bella's always been protected from other's minds, and she has a strong protective nature… a barrier was simply natural :P**_

_**And next chapter will be the last! So sad!!! T-T**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**PS: Again, sorry about any typos here!!**_


	25. Eternity

"Eternity"

**BPOV**

Finally, all was fine here.

I couldn't believe it has been almost a week since I'd been turned, a week since Jacob had decided to try and save our friendship. I was adjusting to my new life willingly, enjoying the new feelings and experiences my enhanced senses allowed. I had managed to control my thirst; to avoid attacking anyone… it was easier each day. Carlisle and the others were really surprised by my control; of course, I sill couldn't be near people, but I was strong enough to smell the scent far away and resist it. Carlisle had praised my dedication, which to me was a great compliment. Edward and I had a theory about it: since I had chosen it beforehand, I was unconsciously prepared to deal with my nature, while the rest of them had been forced to it, without any thought or preference before the changing.

About my gift, well, I was making some advances. Edward and I had discovered the 'barrier' reacted to my protective nature; every time I feared for someone, I unconsciously transferred my power to that person, activating the protection around its body. I still had difficulty controlling it, but practice was making it easier. My family helped me a lot with that, since three of them had a gift themselves and knew control came with practice. I was glad; now I had a weapon to protect the ones I loved.

But my greatest joy was Edward, of course. After a month or so of being worried about his health –strange thing for a vampire- he was now fine again. More than once I opened his shirt to look at his perfect chest, delighted to see the scar was gone. He didn't have any problems or seizures anymore, and enjoyed each minute we spent together –which was practically all day-. Something I particularly enjoyed was running with him. Since he was the fastest of our family, I still had trouble keeping up with him, but now I could run instead of waiting for his help. He hold my hand all the time, laughing as we ran… sometimes, he carried me as he did before, just for the pleasure of it. It was incredible.

Now, we both were in our meadow. My vampire eyes saw it all more clearly, more beautiful: I could detect even the smallest shapes in the flowers, smell the sweetest fragrances… and saw my skin for the first time, shinning like Edward's at the sunlight. I looked at my love, my life, my husband. He had his eyes closed, and smiled as if he knew I was watching him. I pressed myself closer to him, enjoying the feeling of his arms and his now warm skin next no me. I pressed my head on his chest, wondering if anyone could be so lucky.

I remembered Seth. After quite an argument –Jacob couldn't believe he had actually imprinted on Caitlin- we couldn't help but laugh at it all. This week had been strange for both of them. Seth was obviously charmed by her, and it was evident she found him handsome. Sam and the other members of the pack had been furious, especially Alphonse, who considered the whole issue a mistake, but Seth didn't care anymore. More than once he'd visited us to see Caitlin, who gladly walked with him, chatting joyfully. It was strange; at first I thought Caitlin would be annoyed, even angry, at Seth's attention, but after seeing them together I realized she felt flattered and, most of all, happy. Edward was so happy for them; I knew he liked Seth, and seeing him find Caitlin was something great. In fact, Caitlin was staying just for him, and her 'brothers' (three men and two women) were just as happy as we were for her. She'd been lonely for quite a long time, and deserved to have happiness.

Jacob, however, was entirely different. He visited with Seth almost daily to "check on Caitlin's coven" as he said. Edward always laughed at his excuses; surely he'll know better. I felt relieved to see he was really trying to be friendly; it was good to see him talk to Edward or Emmett without any hate or hidden threat. About me, I was surprised –and happy- to find out he could treat me as before; we talked a lot, and sometimes even walked through the forest. It felt nice to see we could still be friends, and it was great to have him there with me, with Edward, in peace.

A hand caressing my cheek distracted me from my thoughts.

"What are you thinking, love?" Edward asked me, his velvet voice so seductive I had to contain my sudden desire. I smiled.

"Nothing, really. I'm just surprised at how good things turned out for us" I said honestly. He looked at me. At first I've been a little scared about his eyes –red after drinking my blood- but now they were the same golden I loved, the same color I now shared.

"Yeah. It was a long wait, don't you think?" he said.

"I wonder if Jacob will find someone, just like Seth did" I said. There was nothing I whished more than that. Edward shrugged.

"I don't know… but surely he won't have a couple as 'unusual' as Seth's" he answered, laughing. It felt so good to see him this happy.

"I was wondering, what will happen once Caitlin decides to go?" I asked.

"Don't worry about that. I'm sure she has very good reasons to stay close" he said, and winked at me.

"Will she stay for Seth?" I asked, surprised. He sighed, as if I'd asked a silly question.

"If you were in her place and I in Seth's, would you leave?" he asked. Of course not.

"No" I said.

"It's the same. Caitlin likes Seth, she'll stay with him" he added. I hugged him, kissing his neck softly.

"But Caitlin is not as lucky as I am" I said. He sighed in pleasure at my touch. I raised my head to see him: my angel, my light… I still couldn't believe this celestial creature was mine. He smiled.

"Well, Seth's not as lucky as I am either" Edward said, caressing my face. I kissed his hand. "You better stop doing that or we'll end up doing something we´ll both regret later" he added, chuckling.

"I won't regret it. No one is here" I said, trying to tease him.

"Not now, but… what if Sam decides to patrol this area right now? I'm sure you won't want him to see us, right?" he asked, and laughed again. The idea was funny to him. If I were human, I surely will be blushing by now. I remembered something when I heard Sam's name.

"Did Jacob tell you about the treaty? Apparently, Sam has decided to maintain it" I said, but I was sure he knew. He could have read it in Jake's mind. He nodded.

"Yes. I guess Alphonse is not too happy with that" Edward said.

"Who cares about him?" I said with anger. I still couldn't forgive him. Edward laughed at my tone.

"Maybe you don't, but Sam DOES. He's his father, after all… and they seem to start liking each other" Edward said. I remembered that moment, when Alphonse had protected Sam from Edward's attack.

"Maybe you're right… but I don't like him. He hurt you" I said.

"But I hurt him first. I don't like him either, Bella, but I created him. I made him the person he's today…" he started, but I placed a hand on his mouth.

"You did nothing wrong. His friend was bad, Edward. You shouldn't blame yourself for Alphonse's hate" I said. He smiled again.

"And you and Jacob? You blamed yourself for that, don't you?" he asked. Damn! He had caught me there.

"Well, yeah but… he's better now. I mean, we're still friends, and you both can have a decent chat without trying to kill each other. That's an advance" I said. He laughed.

"That's a relief, I must admit. Talking about big, silly persons…" he said with a teasing tone. "Emmett's still waiting for a match. Yesterday he was insisting all morning on that. You should give him a lesson for me" he said, winking at me. I laughed.

"If I hurt him, Rosalie will kill me" I said, already imagining her face.

"I don't think so… she can't fight against the rest of us" Edward said, laughing at some hidden joke. I raised an eyebrow.

"You're betting again, right?" I asked.

"Yep. Alice and I bet on you, while Jasper and Rosalie bet on him" he said.

"And what exactly did you bet?" I asked. I'd always been curious about that.

"Well, if Alice and I win, we'll rent their cars for a year… and they'll be our slaves for a month. I already feel sorry for them" he said.

"Why?" I asked, but I understood: betting against Alice was a sure loss. He laughed again.

"Carlisle is betting too… and he needs a lot of help at the hospital" Edward said. He was right; I felt sorry too. He then pressed his lips against my neck, moving towards my jaw, my cheeks… and finally my lips. No matter I was a vampire, I still felt light-headed when he did that.

"What if… we go…?" he asked between kisses. I sighed in pleasure.

"Emmett can wait…" I said, already out of air (figuratively). I started to undo the buttons of his shirt.

"Sam…" he murmured, but I could hear his breathing was as agitated as mine.

"Who cares about him…?" I repeated, kissing him fiercely.

I was in heaven. I could finally start living my life with the man I loved. Finally, I was at home.

_**It's over!!! T-T Tsuyu Ryu is sad!! Hope you liked how it ended… I wanted to give a simple end, but tell you what happened with them after all :P.**_

_**I want to thank Andy's lovelytwilight, Linalina, Emma, SailorWinchester, Kolored, etc. (so much names!) for reading and reviewing my stories. It's nice to know that my idea was liked and read. I wish I could send you all an Edward Cullen!! (sadly, there's only one, and Bella has him lol)**_

_**For those who'd read Breaking Dawn –and liked it- I hope this had been an interesting twist of events and, for those who didn't like it –no flames, they have the right to express their opinion- I hope you had liked my own version ;). I really love you all, and I'm very grateful to you for keeping up with my crazy ideas, hyper updates and heart-attack cliffies n_n.**_

_**Thanks a lot to the amazing VampireorWolf How2Choose for her dedication at correcting my horrid English! Thank u!!!**_

_**And finally, I'd like to tell you that my next story will be about the Cullens' past, from Carlisle's transformation to the moment they became a family (Hard one). I don't know when, but I WILL do it ;). And I'm currently translating my first story for my Spanish readers (since there are not many Twilight fics in Spanish :P)**_

_**Thank you and see you soon!!!**_

_**Tsuyu ryu**_


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